Everesters Anand Gurung and Kazi Sherpa to be felicitated in Manipur

NAMCHI, 18 Sept: Sikkim’s youngest Everester, 22-year-old Anand Gurung along with Everester Kazi Sherpa will be felicitated by the Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association (MMTA) in Imphal on 21 September.
Accepting MMTA’s invitation, Mr. Gurung left for Manipur on Tuesday to attend the felicitation programme which is to be held on the occasion of the 32nd foundation day of MMTA on 21 September.
Anand Gurung  and Kazi Sherpa had both represented Sikkim in the ‘1st North East India on top of the world’ expedition which also comprised of mountaineers from other North Eastern states. All the participant mountaineers who reached the summit in this expedition have been invited by MMTA for the grand felicitation programme.
It may be recalled that the ‘1st North East India on top of the world’ expedition was organized by MMTA under the aegis of Government of Manipur. Before leaving for Manipur, Mr. Gurung who was one of the youngest participants in the team, informed that he along with Everester Kazi Sherpa have been invited by MMTA. Both the Everesters from Sikkim also expressed their hope and aspiration that their State Government would present them with equally deserving recognition which they have earned by representing the state successfully.

Kazi Sherpa summits Everest, again

GANGTOK, 19 May: Kazi Sherpa, OSD (Adventure) at India Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Eco Tourism, Chemchey, summited Everest at 5:15 a.m. [IST] on 18 May as part of the 1st North East India on Top of the World [Mt. Everest] Expedition 2013. He had also summited Everest last year, and is the second from Sikkim in the NE expedition to summit Everest this season. Anand Gurung had completed the climb last Friday.
Mr. Sherpa was one of the six from the expedition who reached the summit on Saturday, informs a press release issued by Santosh Shekar, PRO, 1st North East India top of the World Mt Everest Expedition 2013.
Ms. Anshu Jamshenpa of Arunachal Pradesh, N Chingkheinganba of Manipur, David Zohmangaiha of Mizoram, Tarun Saikia of Assam, Kazi Sherpa of Sikkim made their successful summit at 5.15 a.m. [IST] and Wangsuk Myrthong of Meghalaya summitted at 8.15 a.m. [IST], the release adds.
With the successful summit, David Zohmangaiha, Tarun Saikia and Wangsuk Myrthong are the first Mt Everest summiters from their respective states. Ms. Anshu Jamshenpa of Arunachal Pradesh has again created history by being the only mother of two, who successfully summitted Mt Everest for the third time, while N Chingkheinganba, the 16 year old boy from Manipur is the youngest among the team.
Until now altogether 09 mountaineers of the team have summitted the Everest of which, 02 each are from Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and 01 each are from Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam.
The expedition team is the first ever comprising exclusively of mountaineers from North East India. It is being executed under the leadership of Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association, funded by North Eastern Council, Shillong and supported by Planning Department, Government of Manipur. The leader of the expedition is Dr L Surjit [President, Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association], the release informs.
Puyamcha Mohon from Manipur is expected to summit the Everest by the morning of 19 May. 

Sikkim’s Anand Gurung leads NE’s summiting of Everest

GANGTOK, 17 May: The 1st North East India on Top of the World [Mt Everest] Expedition team has successfully reached the summit of the highest peak of the world, Mt Everest [29,029 ft] this morning at 7:35 AM [Indian Standard Time].
Anand Gurung from Sikkim was the first to summit Mt Everest at 7:35 AM followed by Nima Lama from Arunachal Pradesh at 8:30 AM and finally by N Bidyapati Devi from Manipur at 9:30 AM. N Bidyapati is the first lady from Manipur to Summit the Mt Everest.
A press release from the PRO of the expedition, Santosh Shekhar informs that the expedition was flagged off from the historic Kangla by the Governor of Manipur, Gurbachan Jagar, on 25 February and subsequently by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee from Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi on 20 March.
The release adds that for the remaining members of the leader of the Expedition, Dr L Surjit Singh, president MMTA, advised to make the attempt for summit tomorrow due to heavy wind condition. It is informed that other members of the team attempting the summit are currently waiting for the opportune weather conditions.
The teams had arrived at the Everest Base Camp on 5 April and have undergoing acclimatization during the acclimatization the team reached Camp III [24000 ft apprx] on 30 April. O Ibobi Singh is the Chief Patron and DS Poonia, IAS, Chief Secretary of Manipur is the Chef De-Mission of the expedition.
The press release mentions that with the successful summit, it will now be listed in the history of the region as the First Expedition exclusively of North East India mountaineers and being supported by the Government of India and State Governments to have scaled Mt Everest. It is further added that the mountaineers of the region now join the league of the best mountaineers in the world.
The 1st North East India top of the World Mt Everest Expedition is the first ever expedition comprising exclusively of mountaineers from six states of North East. Sixteen individual from different states are participating in the expedition including the support team.
The expedition is being funded by North Eastern Council, Shillong and supported by Planning Department, Government of Manipur and being implemented by Manipur Mountaineering and Trekking Association, Manipur.

Kazi Sherpa reaches Everest base camp, now the climbing begins in earnest

GANGTOK, 09 April: Kazi Sherpa, a school teacher by profession and currently an officer on special duty at the Indian Himalayan Center for Adventure and Eco-Tourism, has reached the base camp of Mount Everest at 17,250 ft, informed the Director, IHCAE, GT Bhutia today. Mr. Sherpa, it may be recalled, is representing Sikkim and the country on a Mount Everest Expedition a part of a team which comprises of seven others, all Koreans. He has been sponsored to the expedition by the State Government.
Mr. Bhutia detailed that Kazi Sherpa and his team reached Namche on 03 April where they halted for two days for acclimatization and moved on for Duchee on 05 April, proceeding the next day to Pheraychee and on 07 April moved up to Gorakhechep which is about 1:30 to 2 hours away from Mount Everest Base camp.
The team, after reaching Gorakhechep on 08 April, even made an excursion to Kala Pathar, a peak at the height of 18,350 feet, to get a clear view of the Mount Everest and surrounding peaks.
Mr. Bhutia mentioned that Kala Pathar is the only peak which offers a full view of the Everest peak itself and the range. The views are constricted from all other halts on the final march to Everest including the base camp, he explains.
The team reached the base camp today and now the real climbing of the expedition will begin in the earnest.
The team plans to establish three camps before making the final push for the summit and becoming Everesters. Thankfully, weather, which had played spoilsport in the initial days of the expedition is now holding out well, Mr. Sherpa is reported to have communicated to his Director, and if good weather continues, the summit could be achieved any time in May, Mr. Sherpa has conveyed from the base camp.
It may be recalled that Chief Minister Pawan Chamling had flagged off Kazi Sherpa on his Everest Expedition from Gangtok on 27 March.

CM flags off Kazi Sherpa on Everest Expedition

GANGTOK, 27 March [IPR]: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today flagged off mountaineer Kazi Sherpa of Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Ecotourism, Chemchey, on an Everest Expedition.
Mr. Sherpa is representing Sikkim as a member of the Mount Everest Expedition 2012 from South Col, Nepal. He has been sponsored by the State Government of Sikkim. The expedition is scheduled to launch later this month and expected to summit Mount Everest by May-end.
The Chief Minister, after handing over the National Flag to Mr. Sherpa at Mintokgang this morning, congratulated him for being selected for the expedition and wished him luck.
Also present for the flag off function were Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Director, Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Ecotourism, Chemchey.