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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Everest veteran explores Mustang; findings to air on PBS

WASHINGTON, Nov 8:
Pete Athans made history in 2002, when he reached the summit of Mount Everest for the seventh time, the first climber of non-Sherpa ethnicity to do so, earning him the title of Mr Everest.

During his talk for the Mountaineers, an event that is open to the public, Athans will show slides and video of his extensive alpine climbing career as well as clips from his latest documentary project in the caves of Mustang, “Secrets of Shangri-la,” set to air on November 18 on PBS.

The Wild West of the East: A Ski Expedition to Nepal

It is high noon on Monday, Nepal time, when the phone rings. Jiban Ghimire, our expedition agent, [www.shangrilatrek.com] has the news we'd been waiting for since we landed in Kathmandu five days earlier. "Your ski bags have arrived."

After five days of wondering whether we'd be able to proceed as planned with the expedition, our skis’ arrival delivered a jolt of energy we'd been sorely lacking. We ached to get to the airport and pick them up. Alas, Nepalis run a hard line when you're trying to excuse yourself from their party. We politely explain no fewer than three times that we have to be leaving before they actually allow us to leave. Finally, they adorn us each with a silk scarf and bid us farewell.