KATHMANDU, APRIL 29
Nepal will commemorate the platinum jubilees of the first successful ascents of Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Manaslu next month through a series of official programmes spanning Gorkha, Pokhara, and Solukhumbu, with family members of the original summiteers travelling to Nepal to attend.
Both peaks were first climbed in 1956 - Manaslu on May 9 by Japanese climber Toshio Imanishi, and Lhotse on May 18 by Swiss climbers Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger - making 2026 the 70th anniversary of both historic ascents.
The celebrations are being jointly organised by the Nepal Mountaineering Association, Nepal Tourism Board, Tsum Nubri Rural Municipality, and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality. Gorkha Municipality, the Embassy of Japan, and the National Trust for Nature Conservation are co-organising the Manaslu jubilee, while the Embassy of Switzerland will co-organise the Lhotse celebrations.
The Manaslu Platinum Jubilee will be held on May 8–9 in Sama Gaun, Gorkha, with a follow-on programme at the International Mountain Museum in Pokhara on May 10. The Lhotse Platinum Jubilee is scheduled for May 21 in Khumjung, Solukhumbu.
A centrepiece of both events will be the unveiling of statues of the first ascenders at their respective celebration sites - Imanishi's statue in Sama Gaun and those of Reiss and Luchsinger in Khumjung. A statue of Urkien Tshering Sherpa - the first Nepali climber to summit both Manaslu and Lhotse, having climbed Manaslu on April 22, 1973 and Lhotse on May 8, 1977 - will also be erected and inaugurated as part of the commemorations.
At the Pokhara programme on May 10, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Maeda Toru will inaugurate a 3D model of Mt. Manaslu. The Japanese Alpine Club will present on the 1956 Manaslu expedition, and a documentary on the climb will also be screened.
NMA President Phur Geljie Sherpa said preparations are in their final stages. "We have planned a series of programmes to celebrate the 70th anniversary of these historic ascents," he said. "Statues of the first ascenders will be erected and inaugurated in their respective regions." Neema Lama, Chairman of Tsum Nubri Rural Municipality, noted the broader significance of the Manaslu milestone.
"The first ascent of Mt. Manaslu marked the beginning of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan," he said. "We hope this celebration will further strengthen our ties."
NTB Senior Director Sunil Sharma said the Board is working closely with NMA, local governments, and stakeholders to use the jubilees to promote Nepal's mountaineering heritage and tourism offer.
