WORKING WITH CLIMBERS FROM LOW INCOME VILLAGES NEAR TO MOUNT EVEREST. 

This year, thanks to Sterling rope, and the charity not-for-profit Mount Everest Foundation, we were able to educate and work with more than 40 local villagers, including men and women, providing employment and training in a joint venture climbing programme, thanks to: 

Without their generous support, we would not have been able to place 7 Tibetan Guide School students on the summit of Everest, or "Chomolungma" as they prefer to call it. We also brought 6 Nepalese Sherpa"first time summiters" to the top of Everest, all of whom come from low-income regions around Mount Everest, which lie far from the beaten track. Additionally, thanks to Sterling rope, Ms. Maya Sherpa became the first Nepalese woman to stand atop of Mount Pumori, a 7216 metre high mountain, just across the Khumbu valley from Everest. The name "Pumori" means "Daughter of Everest" so it seems fitting that A Nepalese woman has finally climbed it. Last year, also thanks to Sterling rope, Maya became the first Nepalese woman to climb Ama Dablam, Nepal's 6812 metre high "Matterhorn"  perhaps Asia's most famous rock, ice, and snow climb. Thanks Sterling !!

NEW EFFORTS: THE POOR SIDE OF EVEREST. Our newest efforts have extended into the Khumbu Valley, where, Everest, Pumori, and Ama Dablam are located. You might think of this valley as a popular trekking spot, with the commonly enjoyed "Everest-Trek" (our own Everest Trek could be viewed here: Everest Trek Site). However, the truth is that there are two tiers of society here, (1) those who work in tourism and have access to resources provided by foreign tourists; and (2) those people who don't work in tourism, and who live away from the trekking routes and do not have access to the foreigners. We are currently working with the charity not-for-profit Everest Foundation for Sustainable Development in two important projects: 

(1) Re-roofing the Pema Choling Buddhist women's convent, also known as the Deboche Nunnery, where 20 impoverished nuns live in a leaky old convent that many tourists walk past and never consider. The convent is the "sister-monastery" to the famous Thyangboche monastery on top of the hill between beautiful Deboche and Namche, along the Everest basecamp trek. The men who live in the monastery on top of the hill have brand new buildings with intact roofs, while the women live at the bottom of the slope in very simple (and leaky) circumstances. Perhaps you might like to get involved.

(2) Reforestation and planting trees inside the Sagarmatha National Park. Mt. Everest is located inside the park where due to overvisitation and the use of locally cut trees for firewood to heat water for trekker's hot showers, there has been an alarming destruction and loss of the gorgeous Rhodendron, Hemlock and evergreen oak forests, which support so many birds and deer and even bears and snow-leopards. We are working to replant what has been wrecked, in hopes that something could be left for our grandchildren. We need your help to put the forest back.

Please let us know if you would like to join the charity not-for-profit Everest Foundation in their work. If so, you may wish to send us a message on the CONTACT page of this site.

A CLIMBER'S EXCHANGE PROGRAM BETWEEN KAZAKHSTAN AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

Anatoli Boukreev was a world famous climber from Kazakhstan. He climbed on Everest, K2, and Lhotse together with one of our leaders, Daniel Mazur, and was featured in the Jon Krakauer book: "Into Thin Air". He wrote his own classic book: "The Climb". A new book provides new insight into this amazing man, and is edited by Linda Wylie, and the title is: "Above the Clouds". The Anatoli Boukreev Memorial Fund operates an exchange programme for Kazakh climbers to visit Europe and the United States, and for Europeans and Americans to climb in Kazakhstan. The Memorial Fund acts to promote mutual understanding and friendship across cultures through a shared love of mountains and mountaineering, and to support the styles of high-altitude training, ascent, and environmental sensitivity that Anatoli exemplified.

In January of 2003 and 2004, one of our leaders, Daniel Mazur, lectured throughout Colorado and New Mexico, to promote this worthy cause. Please see the "Lecture" page for the daily show schedule. Thank you. In November and December 2004, and January, February, and December of 2005, we are planning an extensive lecture tour of the world, and would like to hear your ideas for potential venues and dates. Please email your further ideas to: summitclimb@earthlink.net 

To contact the Memorial Fund: 

web: www.boukreev.org

email: info@boukreev.org

Postal: POB 1170, Sandia Park, New Mexico, 87047

Charity Not-for-Profit Everest Foundation for Sustainable Development in Nepal and Tibet

Building Hospitals, Schools, and Environmental Projects in Nepal and Tibet

Our link with the Tibetan and Nepalese region and its peoples first began in 1986 when we began travelling throughout Tibet and Nepal, then climbed Mount Everest followed by 7 of the world's highest 8000 metre peaks, including K2. During successive visits to the region, we have been humbled by the stark conditions in which the local inhabitants live, by their crippling lack of health care, plus little or no access to education. Pressures from inappropriate tourism and development have led to the steady pollution of air and water and the rapid destruction of forests and wildlife, vital resources essential for local well-being.

Upon discovering the good work of the carity not-for-profit Mount Everest Foundation, we felt a perfect match between our own drive to do something for this beautiful region and friendly peoples by becoming spokespersons. We admire the Trust's practical project-centred, on-the-ground expertise in helping to promote education, health care, and environmental protection. We are currently planning lecture tours for November/December 2004 and January/February 2005, and are offering a captivating 80 minute live-performance combining our leaders, speaking live in front of the audience, with video, slide, digital imagery and music. Our lecture brings to life the experience of Himalayan mountain cultures and habitats; through travel, trekking, and climbing among some of the world's classic mountains such as Everest and K2, as well as the remote regions around Gasherbrum and Mustagata. These captivating and colourful stories and images span the Himalaya, featuring Pakistan, Tibet, China, India, Nepal, and Central Asia.

We are seeking new supporters interested in suggesting venues and hosting Himalayan charity lectures to help raise funds for the vital work of the Trust among remote mountain communities. We are looking for extra venues across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, North America, Europe, Scotland, England, Wales and Cornwall to enable more local groups of climbers and outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy our current programme. We have received a great deal of interest and enthusiasm from people around the world who are keen to support Himalayan culture, environment, travel, trekking and mountain climbing and to meet other like minded folk.

We would be extremely grateful if you could recommend any local groups, organisations or venues that could be interested in our work and accommodating a lecture. In the past, we have given presentations to groups of 5 to 900 people. We are very flexible about the size and type of audience or venue and can tailor the lecture to suit the needs and goals of diverse groups and organisations:

·          Outdoor and Activity Clubs to entertain existing and recruit new members,

·          Shops to attract customers into the store and stimulate sales,

·          Adventure-Centres, Rock-Gyms, and Ski-Lodges seeking to entertain and draw in clientele,

·          Schools to inspire and motivate students,

·          Theatres and Lecture Programmes to enhance their offerings and audience,

·          Book Shops to excite regular customers and promote travel literature to new people,

·          Travel Agents and Tour Operators to enthuse current and prospective clients,

·          Churches and Charities to foster work with impoverished communities,

·          Environmental Organisations to promote awareness of threats to Himalayan regions and positive action to make a difference,

·          Companies to initiate and motivate team-working and goal-attainment within their staff and clientele,

·          Private, Community, Family and Social groups who would prefer a “private-showing”.

Previous hosts have included: Alpine Club; Colorado Mountain Club; Guildford Mountain Club; Rockhoppers Club; Rocky Mountaineers; Focus-Fitness Health Centre; Stone-Age Rock-Gym; Skiers Lodge de La Meige; Taunton Leisure Shops; Eastern Mountain Sports; Wild Mountain Outfitters; Second-Ascent; Neptune Sports; Basel Community-Family Presentation; Berlin Community Presentation; Edinburgh Community-Family Presentation; Saatchi's of London; Brecon Theatre; Norman Schools; Cornwall-Helston Presentation; Brecon Adventure Centre; London B&B Presentation; Bristol Community Presentation; Stuttgart Family Presentation; and Linz Family Presentation. 

On behalf of the Trust we would greatly appreciate your support - as donations and resources raised by these lectures go directly to helping families, and preserving threatened environments in Nepal and Tibet. A small team is busy working with local people on the ground to develop vital new schools and hospitals and implementing programmes to protect and conserve local natural resources, such as the recent "Construction of Patale Health-Post and School", and ongoing effort to “Halt habitat-destroying wood-cutting inside the national park surrounding Mount Everest”.

We would be most grateful for your interest and support in helping the Mount Everest Trust to give a little back to the peoples and environs of the high mountains, communities and ecosystems that have honoured many visitors with great hospitality, beauty, and kindness. If you would like to explore the possibility of helping the work of the Trust by suggesting a venue or hosting a lecture, we are glad to post you a simple brochure with details of our programme and feedback from our previous hosts.

We  would be delighted to discuss these opportunities with you and your friends or colleagues in greater detail if that would be helpful. Please let us know if you need further information. We look forward to hearing from you, to meeting, and to speaking to your group in the near future. Please press the "CONTACT" button for further information.

The Central Asian Institute, Building Schools and Hospitals  for Girls and Boys in Pakistan and Afghanistan

Daniel Mazur, one of our leaders, lectured in England and Wales during February, 2003, in order to raise funds and awareness for the Central Asian Institute. Please see the "LECTURE" page for the daily show schedule. Thank you. In December of 2003, and January, February, and December of 2004, a lecture tour for the Central Asian Institute will be conducted throughout the world. Please let us know if you are interested in attending or would like to suggest any venues or dates. Please email us at: summitclimb@earthlink.net 

Please contact the Central Asia Institute:

Finding a New or Lightly Used Computer (at least a pentium II) for Mount Everest

This year (October, 2003) we carried a new computer, by yak, to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee.  In our October 2001 visit to their Namche Bazaar office, we were astounded to learn that they were using an antique 486 computer to manage the extensive park data base. In addition to being ancient and creaky, the computer had become infected with a virus which had erased one of their hard drives. Files were unrecoverable, and the staff in the office was working to recreate lost data. It seems a shame that this fine agency, which is responsible for handling the environmental concerns for the region around Mt. Everest, is crippled by a lack of technology, in our modern age of high speed personal computers.  We have taken it upon ourselves to find them a new or "lightly-used computer, which is up to the task (at least a pentium II).  Here is a letter they recently faxed to us, confirming their request: 

If you are unable to read the text, the above letter, dated 22 November, 2001, states: "Dear Sir, I introduce myself Ram Chandra Karki as Finance & Administrative of Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, Namche Bazaar, Nepal. We are pleased to know Mr. Daniel Mazur, who visited us in our office during October, 2001, and has visited the Sagarmatha Park region and Mt Everest, Mt Lhotse, and Ama Dablam, since 1991. We acknowledge his concern about the environment and society inside the park, and efforts to maintain a clean and harmonious park for everyone. We support his quest to find us a new computer for our office. Our Current Computer is an old model 486, and cannot handle the difficult task we have of managing the park database, and internet communication. Each year we have more work to do with the same old computer. We would be deeply indebted to the generous person who through Mr. Daniel Mazur would kindly donate a new computer for our good cause. Thank you very much for your help in saving the Sagarmatha Park for future generations. We are looking forward to hear from you soon. With thanks for sincere cooperation. Yours Sincerely, Ram Chandra Karki (R.C.) Finance and Administrative Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee Namche Bazaar, Nepal"

In 2002 and 2003, our delivery of the new computer was completely successful, and we are deeply indebted to Kevin Donovan and Rudy Zuber. However, the computer has turned out to be a bit slow, and we are now seeking a new or used machine that is at least a Pentium II. Would you know anyone who can donate a computer? Our leaders can easily bring it from Europe or America, in the luggage and yak loads to Namche Bazaar, located near Mount Everest in the Khumbu region, during October of 2004. Please contact us with your ideas at: summitclimb@earthlink.net 

Himalayan Explorers Connection, International Porter Protection Group, Porter's Progress

We rely heavily on local climbers, yak drivers, and porters, and we take our responsibility to them very seriously, by providing adequate pay, food, clothing, equipment, training, and shelter. Because of this, our 23 member staff are some of the best you will encounter. In addition to helping our staff members personally, we are also helping their families, and are participating in health projects and building schools in their villages. We also provide scholarship funds so that their children can attend school, college, and university. We ask our climbing and trekking team members to share our deep respect for the local people who help us, and to bring clothing and equipment to donate to our staff, as they depend on gifts from overseas. We support the work of the fine porter-fostering organizations throughout the world, and have adopted their codes of ethics. To donate equipment, clothing, funds, health and schools supplies please contact: summitclimb@earthlink.net 

To view the "porter's code of ethics", please click here 

To learn more about these excellent organizations, please visit: 

www.hec.org and  www.ippg.net and www.portersprogress.org   

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Fighting Pollution in China and Tibet

We strongly support the work of Elizabeth Damon's organization as they try to raise awareness of water pollution and conservation issues throughout the world and especially in China and Tibet. 

Please contact the Keepers for more information. Their web address is: www.keepersofthewaters.org 

Educating Nepalese Children

Chantal Mauduit was a fine climber, and one of the strongest we have met. She believed in social action, helping the local people to improve their lives, and to live their dreams. 

After her death on Dhaulagiri, her family started a charity which provides assistance to Nepalese children in obtaining an education. The "Association Chantal Mauduit" maintains an office in Kathmandu, in Lainchor. To learn more about the Association, and to make a contribution, please visit their website (you might want to polish your French language skills first, but the chairman, Mick Regnier, speaks English): www.eolienne.com