Kathmandu, February 7
Conrad Anker, an American mountaineer and a close companion of Nepal's mountain tourism, has been honored with the Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah Adventure Award by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA).
Dr. Narayan Prasad Regmi, Director General of Department of Tourism (DoT), on behalf of the NMA, handed over the award to Anker. The NMA, since many years, has been honoring various personalities with various awards established in the name of its major contributors such as its former President Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah, Dawa Norbu Sherpa and former Chief Advisor Dr. Harka Gurung.
Last year, during the 51st NMA Day celebrations, the NMA had decided to honor Anker with this award. However, he was unavailable for the ceremony held on November 1st, 2024. This time, upon his availability, the NMA officially presented the award amidst a ceremony organized at the Department of Tourism in Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu.
Anker has consistently supported Nepal's mountain tourism, particularly in the development of skilled human resources.
Anker, in his personal efforts, has been running Khumbu Climbing Centre in Phortse, Solukhumbu. The NMA is also involved with this school, and it uses the NMA logo on certificates issued by the school.
Anker made significant contributions to the 1999 Mallory/Irvine search expedition, which aimed to locate the bodies of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who disappeared in the Everest region while attempting to summit Mount Everest in 1924.
Anker was instrumental in locating Mallory's body during this expedition.
During the handover ceremony, Dr. Regmi expressed his deep appreciation for Anker's contributions to Nepal's mountain tourism. "We are deeply thankful for what you have done for Nepal's mountain tourism. This is a small gesture of appreciation for your contributions," Dr. Regmi said. "We look forward to your continued support."
NMA President Nima Nuru Sherpa encouraged Anker to explore possible ways for potential collaboration with the NMA in developing skilled human resources. "We have also established a training institute to offer comprehensive mountaineering training. We aim for this institute to become a world-leading mountaineering training center," President Sherpa shared. "We humbly request Anker to collaborate with us in this endeavor. This will significantly contribute to Nepal's mountain tourism."