Kathmandu, May 19

“On 15 May at 2:21pm, we have created a history on the roof of the world,” Krishna Thapa Magar, team leader of the Gurkha Everest Expedition, shared his happiness after arriving in the capital from Mt Everest region this afternoon.

Thapa Magar along with two other Gurkha members of the expedition became the first serving Gurkha soldiers to scale the world’s highest peak this season on May 15 while 10 other members — six Gurkhas and four British members led by Richard Howard Gale, also stood atop Mt Everest on May 17 at 9:15am. Prior to this success, no serving Gurkha soldier had summitted Mt Everest.

The 41-year-old Gurkha soldier, who led a strong 13-member team of Lahures, has also became the season’s first climber to successfully scale Mt Everest from the South Col by opening a climbing route up to the summit point.

This time, a team of serving Gurkhas led by Thapa Magar has again proved that Gurkhas could overcome any kind of hardship on their way to victory either being in the battle fields or on the mountains. “It’s really a proud moment for all of us,” Thapa Magar, also the chairman of Himalayan Ski Trek, said.

The Gurkha team decided to fix a route to the summit point after assessing the weather condition as a team of rope-fixing Sherpas returned to the lower camps citing high winds and heavy snowfall above the balcony. The Gurkha team, however didn’t wait while the rope-fixing Sherpas decided to make their summit bids only after May 17, Thapa Magar, who stayed with team for over a month in Everest region, said.

Finally, the team did it very carefully and courageously after finding a short window in the ‘death zone’.  Thapa Magar also appreciated the role of Sherpa climbers who contributed a lot to make the expedition a success. “Sherpas are the true heroes of the mountain,” he said.

As the team set an example of how the Gurkhas strive to achieve excellence, Brigadier Ian Rigden, chairman of the expedition, celebrated the team’s victory, commenting that their success was due to hard work, self-belief, true teamwork and outstanding team leadership.

Born in Tanahu district, Thapa Magar joined the British Army in 1996. After joining Platoon 9 of the best 1st Royal Gurkha Rifles C Company, he became international military mountain guide in 2008 in Germany. According to Thapa Magar, the team members have obtained training in the French Alps, Wales as well as in Scotland to prepare for the summit bid on Mt Everest.

Brian O’Bree, chairman, 6 GR Regimental Association termed the victory on Mt Everest as an absolutely magnificent achievement and congratulated the team for raising the name of Gurkhas to the highest point, literally.

“You have made us all so very proud to be Gurkhas and your commitment and dedication to the mission have been exemplary and inspirational,” the Sirmoor Rifles Association said in a statement.

In 2015, the team was selected to attempt to summit Everest in celebration of 200 years’ service to The British Crown. But, the team had abandoned climbing activities after the devastating earthquake struck the country killing nearly 9,000 people. The earthquake-triggered avalanche also swept the base camp the same day when the team was making the first acclimatisation rotation on the mountain.

Four members of the expedition arrived Kathmandu while others were on their way, Shivraj Thapa, Managing Director of Summit Nepal Treks, said.