KATHMANDU: Apa Sherpa, leader of Eco Everest Expedition 2010, is heading back to the world’s highest mountain for a historic 20th ascent on April 6.

The expedition team plans to collect and bring back garbage from high attitudes. It has set a target of hauling back 6,000 kg of garbage from Camp 2 and below

under the “Cash-for-Trash” programme. In all, the team plans to bring 1,000 kilos

of garbage from Camp 2

under the “Cleaning up

Everest” programme.

Sherpa — who first climbed Mt Everest on May 10, 1990 with a New Zealand team — has climbed Mt Everest 19 times.

Asian Trekking Pvt Ltd managing director Dawa Steven Sherpa said the members of the Everest expedition will once again focus on climbing in an eco-sensitive manner, bringing back old garbage and all human waste from the mountain down to base camp for disposal. “The expedition team will be using highly successful alternative energy solutions like parabolic solar cookers and SteriPENS for water purification,” said Sherpa.

During a programme held to highlight Apa Sherpa’s upcoming 20th ascent of Sagarmatha (Mt Everest), Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari handed over the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 flag to Sherpa. The flag will be carried by Sherpa as he heads the summit to set his record.

Minister Bhandari also presented Dawa Steven Sherpa the International Olympic Committee Award for Sports and Entertainment.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said a high-level task force has been formed for the preservation and

development of Mt Everest. He said, “The task force will devise ways to remove garbage from Mt Everest on

a permanent basis, and

operate mountain expeditions to more than five or seven peaks and manage easy accessibility from the northern face. Minister Bhandari also spoke of launching a new system that will provide identity cards and other special features to Everest summiteers. He declared that Apa Sherpa will be waived the mountain climbing fee for this expedition. Sherpa is settled in Draper, Utah state of the USA since the past seven years.

Asian Trekking Pvt Ltd, Reinhold Messner Mountain Museum, The North Face and The Alpine Convention are official sponsors of the proposed Expedition .