Kathmandu, April 19: The spring mountaineering season on Annapurna I has officially started, with climbers already reaching the 8,091-meter peak in Myagdi’s Annapurna Rural Municipality–4, Narchyang.
Expedition teams have begun summit attempts, and multiple successful ascents have already been recorded. A group led by Lakpa Sherpa from Seven Summit Treks reached the summit on Saturday.
The team included seven Nepali and five foreign climbers, among them Charles Page, Valery Babanov, Vladimir Afanasiev, Yuri Kuglov, and Isfarli Asurlu. The Nepali climbers who summited were Lakpa, Chhewang, Dawa Norbu, Pasang Dungpa, Changuba, Taraman, and Pasang Sherpa.
In a separate ascent the same day, two climbers from the Netherlands and Australia, accompanied by a Sherpa guide, also successfully reached the summit around 10:15 am, according to Mauris Herzog Trail campaigner Tej Bahadur Gurung.
He said the first successful summit team of the season has already returned, and activity at base camp is rising as more climbers and trekkers arrive.
The Department of Tourism has issued permits to 27 climbers from four expedition teams this season, generating Rs 12.49 million in revenue, according to official Sharmila Banjade.
Annapurna I, the world’s tenth-highest mountain, saw 66 permit holders last spring season. Historically, it was first climbed in 1950 by Maurice Herzog, while Everest was later conquered in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment