KATHMANDU: Tring! Tring! The telephone rang at the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) on October 21, 2005 bringing with it the news of probably one of the biggest disasters of the year for both the French and Nepali governments and its people. Seven French nationals and 11 Nepali trekkers had gone missing in an avalanche in the Annapurna region. Those missing had been staying at the Base Camp on the evening of October 20. They were probably getting ready to ascend the 6,700-metre high Kang Guru himal the very next day.

All were destined to perish in the freezing wild

Yet alluring Kang Guru except for four porters, who made a separate camp almost 100 meters away from the Base Camp.

“Kang Guru himal rescue was the biggest rescue mission our organisation has led so far,” said Bikram Neupane, chairman of HRA.

The mission was carried out into two phases and it took eight months for

HRA to recover all the bodies of the deceased because of inappropriate as well as unpredictable weather conditions of the Kang Guru region.

How rescue is

carried out?

The HRA has a temporary medical post at the Everest Base Camp and two permanent medical posts at Pheriche and Manang.

“The medical post at the Everest Base Camp is open during the spring only, while those at Pheriche

and Manang provide medical service during peak climbing season, spring and fall,” said Prakash Adhikari, Chief Executive Officer of HRA.

Each camp has two voluntary doctors who come from the UK, Canada, the US, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, France, Switzerland, Norway and

Malaysia simultaneously every season.

The objective of camping these medical services

at a high altitude was

to provide support to climbers and promote safe mountaineering.

If there is any major accident in any of the Himalayan region, it is brought into account of HRA most of the time. The HRA, as soon as it is informed about vital casualties, calls an emergency meeting with other rescue and mountaineering associations like Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA) and Nepal Mountaineering Instructors Association (NMIA) and prepares to send rescue troupes by forming a rescue panel and proper planning.

“The HRA coordinates with NNMGA and NMIA to respond to disasters because these are among the few organisations in Kathmandu that have trained manpower for expeditions and rescues,” said Padam Ghale, rescue operation leader of Kang Guru Rescue Operation led by HRA and Vice President of NNMGA.

No easy task

Working as a rescuer, at an average altitude of 5,000-8,000 meters, is not everybody’s cup of tea.

“Rescuers should be highly experienced, tactful and courageous,” said Ghale adding, “It is a very different experience to rescue somebody from the gorges and the techniques used in rescues in Himalayas, rocks or in

snowy condition are very different.”

The rescuers, individually, carry an average weight of 17 kg (that includes necessary equipment for rescue) at high altitude.

High-end gears

Ghale affirmed that as compared to the previous years, Nepal now has sufficient equipment for rescue and evacuation. “We do not have all the latest technologies, but we do have required equipment for rescue operations,” said Ghale. “Each and every rescuer in a team has to have screw lock carabiner, screw unlock carabiner, ice screw of various sizes, grip chalk, snow bar, ice axe, walky-talkies, two quantity of tapes, 45-50 meters of 10 mm ropes, half-metre of seven mm prosaic rope, seven meters of seven mm rope, one jhumar, different sized rock pitons, ice screws and first aid kits. These are the basics, yet very vital. Mismanagement of small gear can cost a life and

even put the whole rescue operation in jeopardy,”

said Ghale who has 25 years of expedition and rescue experience.

Rescue study in Nepal

Rescue study corresponds to expedition study and training in Nepal. The NNMGA and NMIA are recognised expedition training institutions. The NMIA is affiliated with Ecole Nationale de Ski et d’ Alpinisme (ENSA) situated in Chamunix Valley, France only since 2007 but working in coordination with it since 1983. The ENSA is a world-renowned mountaineering training institute. There are Basic Mountain Rescue Training Course (BMRT) and High Mountain Rescue Training (HMRT) to go with other courses like Basic First Aid Course and other expedition classes. The NMIA conducts BMRT in summer (August) and HMRT in winter (January/ February) in various Himalayan ranges of Nepal. Before 2007, trainees used to get trained from ENSA, France, but now to make the training cost effective, NMIA is undertaking the training classes in Nepal with affiliation from ENSA whose instructors come to supervise and take classes.

Words to heed

“First and foremost, if any expedition group is packing their bags on a journey to the Himalayas, they must leave detailed information with their respective trekking or expedition agencies or at HRA. This will help rescuers track the record if any untoward incident takes place along their journey,” said Ghale.

Trekking in the high altitude has many other complications, the common being Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). The AMS is altitude sickness, which is preventable only if one listens to their physical and mental changes in the expedition. The symptoms include tiredness, sleeplessness or dizziness due to lack of oxygen in the high altitude region. Paying heed to team members is equally important.

“Once, an Argentinean trekker tried to ascend Mt Dhaulagiri (8,167 meters) from Base Camp 3, which was camped at an average altitude of around 7,000 meters. When all his trekking groups decided to descend because of unfavourable weather conditions, he did not listen to his troupe and headed to make the trip alone. He was never found,” shared Ghale.

Future prospects

Ghale sees a bright future for expeditions as well as rescue operations, which he thinks will be more systematic and well managed in the years ahead. “There are many youngsters eager in this field and probably in the coming years we will be able to see many competent manpower in rescue operations and mountaineering verified from ENSA. Probably, within 2011 there will be more than a dozen certified mountaineers and rescuers from ENSA,” said Ghale.