KATHMANDU: The Everest summiteers Apa and Dawa, who are currently touring European cities, urging to save the Himalayas from melting due to the impact of climate change, have enthralled many audiences there.

The duo are in Europe in a bid to raise awareness about the melting Himalayas ahead of the UN climate talks in Copenhagen.

“We are happy that our mountaineers have shared their stories on the impact of climate change in different European cities,” said Prashant Singh, leader of the campaign, WWF.

“I have witnessed some rapid changes in the Himalayas during my years of climbing experience,” a statement issued here by the WWF quoted Messner as saying.

Apa and Dawa were speakers at the Festival Alpinismu Setkani, 2009 held in Prague recently, where more than 3,000 mountaineers, including renowned mountaineer Reinhold Messner, listened to their heart-rending stories on melting of the Himalayas.

Messner has further added that the old routes used during expeditions were fast fading and the young generation of climbers had difficulty performing old feats due to melting of ice. The duo also extended an open invitation to the participants to join Nepal at the Summiteers’ Summit scheduled to be held in Copenhagen on December 11.