Everest allure

The recent tenth annual Girimitra Sammelan in Mumbai, a congregation of mountaineers, proved that the world's highest peak continues to be the blue riband of mountaineering

George Mallory's famous quote has inspired many mountaineers in the world. When Mallory was asked, "Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?" He replied, "Because it's there".

Mallory, was among the first group of mountaineers who took part in the first few expeditions to Mount Everest. Since then conquering Everest has been the ultimate dream of every mountaineer.



When it comes to climbing the Mount Everest, Apa Sherpa's (51) name stands out. Apa who is also nick named 'Super Sherpa' has climbed the Everest 21 times.

He was in the city to present a seminar at theu00a0 Girimitra Sammelan on July 17. Apa also inaugurated a rock-climbing wall at Matunga's Podar College on July 16. The wall, set up by Girivihar, one of the oldest mountaineering club in the State, is open to all.

The wall, no doubt, is a first step towards encouraging mountaineering among youngsters but Apa believes that there is a long way to go.

Unlike Nepal, in a city like Mumbai, which is devoid of mountains or high altitude peaks, Apa suggested, "To start with, such walls are good but one needs to do much more. One should also go for hiking often and use ropes while climbing. This can increase your physical strength."

Tough
Ang Tshering Sherpa, former mountaineer who established Asian Trekking, a Kathmandu-based trekking agency, also accompanied Apa Sherpa during the inauguration ceremony.

With so many people climbing Everest every year, Ang emphasised that reaching the Everest summit, at a height of 8849 metres above sea level, has become a lot easier due to "experienced sherpas and mountaineersu00a0 who guide various expeditions." Acknowledging the fact that mountaineering is an expensive sport, Ang said, "This is perhaps why it draws less people."

Risk
The risk involved also deters many people from mountaineering. Mark Inglis, from New Zealand, the only double amputee to climb Everest recollects an incident, where he managed to cheat death but lost both his legs below the knees to frostbite.

"Climbing Everest was a boyhood dream and in 1982 I thought it was the end of my dream. I was stuck in an ice cave for 14 days. As a result, I lost my legs. You have to be tough enough to get on with it," said Inglis.

Mountaineers like Ang along with his son Dawa Steven Sherpa, who has also taken part in many expeditions, is doing their bit to promote the sport.

Dawa has taken a step further by building a 15 metre high climbing wall at Thame in Kathmandu, which serves as a training as well as a recreation centre for people. The mountaineers implied that such facilities could promote the sport in metropolitan cities like Mumbai too.

Environment
These mountaineers have taken it upon themselves to free Everest from garbage . Said Dawa, "We started the Eco Everest Expedition in 2008 and so far we have managed to collect 13,500 kilos of garbage. Our expedition will continue till no more garbage is left on Everest."

To encourage participation, Dawa started the 'Cash for Trash' programme where a person is paid cash, at the rate of Rs 100/kilo, for collecting garbage from the mountain. Melting ice at Mount Everest, mainly due to global warming is a concern among most mountaineers. It is also a huge threat to local communities who live in the foothills of the Everest.

Lamented Ang, "There is a glacial lake called Imja Tsho Lake close to the Everest where I had spent my childhood. Since 1960 the lake has been shrinking. There can be a sudden outburst any time. The government should have policies to minimise the effect of climate change."

Chair cars on the Everest
Sharavati Prabhu is a top mountaineer who was on the historic 1984 expedition to Everest. During that climb, Bhachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to summit the Everest.

Sharavati from Chembur was the youngest mountaineer in the 1984 ascent. Since then, UK-based Sharu as she is known, has gone on to conquer some of the most difficult mountains in the world.
u00a0
Here, she talks about the lure of the Everest and the future of the mountain that is a magnet for people all over the world. Excerpts from an interview:

Q: The Everest continues to hold people in thrall and reinforce its reputation as the peak to conquer. Is there another mountain that deserves similar respect but is less known?
Ans:u00a0I would say both the K2 and Kanchenjunga deserve similar or probably even more respect than the Everest.u00a0

Q: We read about long lines of people registered and waiting to climb the Everest?
Ans:u00a0The South Col route on Everest which is the easiest route up the mountain, has been the most popular route taken by most people to climb Everest, hence the attempts to create and beat records of maximum ascents on the mountain goes on too via this route.u00a0 Incidentally, the South Col usually refers to the southern col between Mount Everest and Lhotse, the first and fourth highest mountains in the world. When climbers attempt to climb Everest from the southeast ridge in Nepal, their final campu00a0 is situated on the South Col. The route is fixed by ropes almost all the way up the mountain by Sherpa like Apa Sherpa who do it for a living, thus making it easy for the others to climb.u00a0

Q: There have been several reports of the problem of debris on the Everest. Have you witnessed this, personally?
Ans:u00a0Yes, since climbing the Everest was commercialised in the 1990s, over the years, a consistent flow of commercial expeditions have left a large amount of waste on the mountain. Sometimes the debris is impossible to remove if it is in higher camps and in difficult locations on the mountain. However, it needs to be made mandatory for every expedition to clear its own mess, even if at a high cost.u00a0u00a0

Q: What do you think of the future, would Everest continue to lure climbers?
Ans: Everest will always hold its lure for generations to come.u00a0 It will become like Mt. Blanc in Europe and the day might come when we might see chair cars going to the top.u00a0 Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. The mountain lies between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Haute-Savoie, France. A cable car ascends and crosses the mountain from Courmayeur to Chamonix.

Girimitra Sammelan
The tenth annual Girimitra Sammelan was held at Shree Shanmukhananda Chandrshekharendra Saraswati Auditorium at Matunga on July 17. The event, which saw the presence of mountaineers like Apa Sherpa, also had famous cave explorer Brian Dale (63), who spoke about his experience.

Founder-secretary of the Meghalaya Adventurers Association (MAA), Dale said, " A cave explorer should know how a cave is formed and it involves a lot of scientific work too. A proper geological study has to be done first."

It is important for an explorer to first find out where one can find caves. Along with the thrill, cave exploration also involves a lot of risks.

"Sometime you can find human bodies, fossil, animals bones, etcetera in caves. You might have to walk, crawl or even swim while exploring a cave. Hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) is a real danger in caves," said Dale.

Rate
The rock-climbing wall at Matunga's Podar College is open to all age groups between 5 pm and 8 pm. Passes at the rate of Rs 300/month and Rs 30/day are available for enthusiasts who want to use the facility.