Wilderness Medicine -CME GROUP - SPRING 2010

Thanks so much for doing a fantastic, professional job with our groups. We really appreciate it! Kyle loves working with you. He had a lot of fun playing tennis with you. I hope you can visit us in Ashland, Oregon again soon. We’d love to play some more tennis!

All the best!

Warmest regards, Gene

Dr. Gene Allred

First Ascent Family Returns to Everest with new “Firsts” in Sight

For more to read…http://blog.firstascent.com/tag/melissa-arnot/

A promising entrepreneur pleads for tourism-friendly policies

Jiban Ghimire is a familiar name in the Nepalese travel trade circle. Ghimire, who is one of few successful tourism entrepreneurs, is the Managing Director of Sherpa Shangri-La Treks & Expeditions (P) Ltd. The reputed company concentrates its attention on quality tourists rather than numbers.

Born at Samalisthan village of Salu Village Development Committee (VDC – ward # 05) of Ramechhap district in January 1967, Ghimire has been with the adventure travel tourism trade for more than two decades.

After completing his primary education from a primary school of Samalisthan, he joined Setidevi Lower Secondary School at Salupati. Then, his family had sent him to the adjoining village of Shangutar for his secondary-level education. He studied at Himganga Secondary School.

“I had hired a room at Shangutar and stayed there with my maternal cousins. We used to take food items and other essential things from home,” he says. Born in a rural middle-class family, he had to carry out daily household chores such as fetching fodder and fuel-wood from jungles. He also would graze cattle on farmlands, forests and pastures on holidays.

During his childhood, he would run very fast. “I used to run so fast that I would reach my school within 20 minutes, while others had to walk for 45 minutes,” he recalls. Despite being obedient and careful during his childhood, he had once fallen off from a tree. “I had led a well-disciplined life. We could not speak anything in front of our father. But we had no problem with our mother,” he says. His family had been one of the respected ones in the village. His grandfather had worked as a Dittha, a government employee. Having been served the Nepal Army for about 10 years, his father also returned to the village following the demise of his grandfather. Although his family has already been migrated to Sarlahi, his father still commands social respect in the ancestral village of Salu. When he passed his School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination in 1985, he started working as a primary teacher in his village school. After experiencing the teaching profession for a couple of months, he came to Kathmandu and joined the Nepal Law Campus.

“I was keenly interested to come to the capital city for higher studies in law, but my father wanted me to continue to work in the village. To be honest, I fled from home and started pursuing my Intermediate of Law,” he says. Since he had seen more opportunities in Kathmandu, he had taken the bold and appropriate decision. “If I had not taken that decision, I would have been working as a primary teacher in the village,” he adds.

His relatives would also suggest him that he should not have quit his job as a teacher. With the help of his relatives, he got a job when he was studying I. L. second year. “In the beginning, I began working with an auditor’s firm in Kathmandu,” he says. Then, he was offered a part-time job with a trekking company. As he gained hands-on experience from the companies in less than six months, started becoming more confident, he decided to establish his own company. In 1990, he opened Sherpa Shangri-La Treks & Expeditions (P) Ltd. “But I did not divert any group of the companies where I had worked,” he says.

The promising entrepreneur started working with a US-based Alpine Ascent International when he met with Todd Burleson, renowned international climber and president of the American adventure tour company in 1988. “Since the beginning, our company and Alpine Ascent have been working smoothly. Alpine Ascent has trusted us fully,” he says.

He says that satisfying clients is key to success in any business. “Since we offer personalized services to clients, we have not received any complaint from them. He says that his company’s business has been promoted by words of mouth of the clients. His company handles just around 100 plus clients annually. According to him, about 175 climbers have, so far, made it to the summit of Mount Everest. His company handles expeditions to several mountains, including Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, Ama Dablam, Burutse, among others. Another noteworthy aspect is that not a single climber or trekker or staff member of the company has lost his/her life until now. “We do not compromise with services. We pay much attention to safety and security of clients,” He says that his company focuses on quality of tourists rather than numbers. The company has yet to face any problem related to workers. “I feel proud that porters wait for our groups at the trek start points.”

He says that the company has developed a mechanism to provide incentives to guides, assistant guides, porters and cooks. He suggests that the government should come up with policies that are more tourism-friendly considering its unlimited prospects in Nepal. Regarding the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY-2011), he says that the government should have come forward with concrete plans to make the event a success. “It is a matter of concern that the government has not thought of building up necessary infrastructures even in major tourist areas,” Despite the growing flow of trekkers and nature lovers to the Annapurna region, the government does not have any policy to encourage entrepreneurs to establish eco-friendly lodges even in the buffer zone of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), and other areas such as Lobuche and Thame.

Jiban is a lucky as well as hardworking person. He had tied his nuptial knot with Durga K.C. in the early 1990s. The happy couple has one son and one daughter. Their son Sapan Ghimire has been studying B.B.S. in the United States, while daughter Sapana is studying Hotel Management at the 11th grade at Trinity International College. His parents have been living in Sarlahi. But it is sad that he has lost two of his brothers.

The widely traveled entrepreneur has visited many countries, including America, Canada, India, South Korea, South Africa & China. He loves Korean & Thai food, plays tennis. Apart from this, he is equally interested in social activities and has contributed to the social sector. He has been carrying out his responsibility as a local coordinator of the Sherpa Education Fund instituted by Alpine Ascent. The project has been giving quality education to 20 needy Sherpa children from the Khumbu region.

He is also contributing to producing skilled hands for mountaineering. With the support of American climbers [Khumbu Climbing School - USA] the Khumbu Climbing Centre has been established at Phortse of Solukhumbu district. “Since internationally recognized instructors are teaching at the institute, Nepal will have more skilled hands for the mountaineering sector,

The institute conducts classes on basic climbing course.

He says that there will be no tourism without peace and political stability in the country. Showing his concern over the pathetic condition of the national flag carrier—Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), he asks the government and other concerned parties to be serious about improving its condition.

Like most of the Nepalese people, he is also concerned about the deteriorating political situation of the country. “Let’s hope that the political parties will keep their promises by not calling for any strike and bandhs in 2011,” he says.

Gokyo-Everest Base Camp - Kalapather spring 2010

www.aventuriersdumonde.com

Nepal Govt and Tourism Board (NTB) launched Tourism Year 2011 (NTY). on 26 Feb 2010

Nepal Tourism Year [NTY] 2011 will be very fruitful for our country's economy and to the people of Nepal.

The government is placing high priority on the tourism sector in its new economic development policy. As there is a favorable political situation in the country, the government is all geared towards economic revolution in next 10 years for the up-liftment of the masses. In this connection, government of Nepal in consultation with Nepalese Tourism Industry, concerned organizations and experts decided to launch a national tourism campaign "Nepal Tourism Year 2011". This announcement reflects the government’s anticipation to bring into at least one million international tourists in Nepal by the year 2011 and spread the benefits of tourism to the people at large. The national campaign also indicates the tourism industry’s exigency to organize a tourism promotion campaign having wider impact.

Nineteen political parties have on Friday officially vowed to refrain from calling strikes and bandhs to facilitate the Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 which, with the slogan 'Together for Tourism', aims to bring in one million tourists in the country during the year.

It was great adventure to cross 2 high pass with in 3days

Laila,Renan,Cory,Pete ,Jiban, Steve & Conrad --Renjo La Pass - Jiban

Cho La pass - Jiban---------------------------Mingma & Jiban at Thame

I went to Khumbu on 19th January with Peter Athans to help Khumbu climbing School building project at Phortse. After complete my paper work with KCS to KCC then start my own adventure trip to two high passes called Cho La Pass & Renjo La Pass". Mingma and I hiked quite a trip within 4 days from Phortse. 1st day - Phortse- Dzong La, 2nd day - Cross Cho La pass then Gokyo, 3rd day - Cross Renjo La pass then Thame & 4th day - Lukla. I had great time

in Khumbu.

Perfect weather for mountain flight - Cory & Renan is heading to climb Mt. Tawoche before Khumbu Climbing School Program

The Everest Experience Flight is the awe-inspiring Mt. Everest, in its entire majestic splendor, is at your disposal on this spectacular "Everest Experience" flight. On this flight, we fly past other high peaks like Dorje - Lakpa, Chhoba - Bhamare, Gauri - Shankar, Cho-Oyu, Pumori, Nuptse, Lhotse, and Amadablam. This is the closet and highest view of Mt. Everest you can ever hope to see in your lifetime. Do not miss it! As you'll find yourself saying, " I did not climb Mt. Everest but I touched it with my heart".

Mt. Everest & Mt. Makalu. Photo by Jiban Ghimire

Cory Richards -Mt. Dorjee Lakpa
http://verticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2010/01/nepal-expedition-2k10-dispatch-1.html

Namaste !!

Seasons Greeting
and
Best Wishes for
a
Happy New Year 2010

Jiban Ghimire & Family

TAAN, MEDEP organise trekking guide training in Chautara

A total of 69 participants from Kavre, Ramechhap, Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha, Nuwakot and Rasuwa attended the training. Classes were conducted on History, Culture, People & Religion; Basic Tourism & Tourism Management, Trekking & Mountaineering Management; Mountain Sickness and HIV/AIDS; Health& Hygiene and First Aid; Food & Beverage and Hospitality Management; Eco-Tourism; Protected areas and Conservation; Geography, Map Reading and Flora & Fauna; and Communicative English Language.

Chewang Nema Sherpa, Gopal Magar & I are very pleased to teach about expedition management with orientation class. Thank you for inviting us. We had great time to met new faces.

Melting Himalayan glaciers threaten lives in Asia

Claire Cozens/AFP
KATHMANDU: More than a billion people in Asia depend on Himalayan glaciers for water, but experts say they are melting at an alarming rate, threatening to bring drought to large swathes of the continent.

Glaciers in the Himalayas provide headwaters for Asia's nine largest rivers, lifelines for the 1.3 billion people who live downstream. But temperatures in the region have increased by between 0.15 and 0.6 degrees Celsius each decade for the last 30 years, accelerating the rate at which glaciers are shrinking.

As world leaders gather in Copenhagen this month for a crucial climate change summit, campaigners warn that some Himalayan glaciers could disappear within a few decades.

"Scientists predict that most glaciers will be gone in 40 years as a result of climate change," said Prashant Singh of WWF's Climate for Life campaign. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN body on climate change, has warned Himalayan glaciers could "disappear altogether by 2035" and experts say the effects of global warming are already being felt in the region.

In Nepal and Bhutan, the receding glaciers have formed vast lakes that threaten to burst, devastating villages downstream.