KATHMANDU: Seventy years after the historic first ascents of Mount Manaslu and Mount Lhotse, Nepal is hosting special programs to celebrate the milestone.
The Nepal Tourism Board and the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) are jointly organizing special events to commemorate the milestone.
The organizers shared details of the program, noting that the celebrations honor the first successful climbs of the 8,163-meter Manaslu and the 8,516-meter Lhotse.
Speaking at the event, Sunil Sharma said the celebrations aim to further establish Nepal as a major global tourism destination. “The joint program will focus on Chumnubri in the Manaslu region and the Khumbu region for Lhotse,” he said.
NMA President Phurba Gyalzen Sherpa described the platinum jubilee as a historic milestone not only for Nepal but for the global mountaineering community. He noted that the first ascents of Manaslu and Lhotse helped strengthen diplomatic ties between Nepal, Japan, and Switzerland.
He also announced that a 3D model of Manaslu will be unveiled at the International Mountain Museum as part of the celebrations.
Nima Lama, chairperson of Chumnubri Rural Municipality in Gorkha, said construction of a statue honoring the first climber of Manaslu is in its final stage and will be unveiled on “Manaslu Day.”
Both peaks were first successfully climbed in 1956. Manaslu was summited on May 9, 1956, by Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa as part of a Japanese expedition. Lhotse was first climbed by Swiss mountaineers Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger.
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