MYAGDI: The Diamond Jubilee celebrations marking the first successful ascent of Mt Annapurna have begun.
The celebrations were inaugurated on Saturday by welcoming a special trekking team at Narchyang Valley—the entry point to the trekking route in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4, Myagdi. The team trekked from Narchyang to the Annapurna Base Camp.
Among the participants was Mathias Herzog, the son of Maurice Herzog—the French climber who first summited the 8,091-meter Mt Annapurna.
He is part of a 14-member group comprising foreigners, tourism entrepreneurs, and journalists who joined the commemorative trek starting Sunday.
The team was welcomed by the Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 Ward Office, the Annapurna Janajagaran Youth Club, and the Creative Mothers’ Group.
In tribute to the first climber, French artists accompanying Mathias Herzog gave a musical performance. They are also scheduled to perform at the Annapurna Base Camp this evening.
The group includes six guests from France, three from the United Kingdom, five from India, and one from Italy.
Mathias Herzog and his son Ethan Herzog are attending the program at the invitation of the Government of Nepal, said Lok Bahadur Pun, Ward Chair of Annapurna Rural Municipality-4.
According to Pun, around 200 people are participating in the Maurice Herzog Memorial Trekking Program, which follows the route through Narchyang Valley, Humkhola, Phutphute Jharana, Sandhikharka, Bhusket, and Panchkunda Lake before reaching Annapurna Base Camp at 4,100 meters.
The Diamond Jubilee will feature a series of commemorative events through June 5, said Annapurna Rural Municipality Chair Bharat Kumar Pun.
Mt Annapurna holds a special place in mountaineering history as the first 8,000-meter peak ever summited by humans. On June 3, 1950, French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal became the first to reach its summit, marking a historic milestone in high-altitude exploration.
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