Record-breaker Appa Sherpa felicitated

KATHMANDU: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and other stakeholders related to the tourism industry on Tuesday felicitated Apa Sherpa, leader of Eco Everest Expedition 2009, who broke his own world record and reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Mt Everest, the 19th time at 8 am on May 21.

Speaking at the felicitation programme, Sherpa said the aim of his joining the Eco Everest Expedition 2009 was to send a wake-up call to the world about the negative effects of climate change on the Himalayas.

NTB chief executive officer Prachanda Man Shrestha presented a felicitation certificate to Sherpa and congratulated him. Ram Chandra Man Singh, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) secretary, hailed Sherpa’s effort in creating history.

President Ram Baran Yadav will felicitate Sherpa on Wednesday, said NTB.

The Eco Everest Expedition 2009 organised by Asian Trekking focused on climbing in a eco-sensitive manner and field testing different eco-sensitive methods to be adopted while climbing the Himalayas. The expedition has brought down to the base camp 6,000 kg of garbage for disposal. Wreckage of an Italian Army Helicopter was recovered from the edge of Khumbu Icefall. The helicopter had crashed in 1973.