Billi Bierling writes in the
Nepali Times: "Mountaineering is always unpredictable because of weather, avalanches and the effects of altitude. But climbing the world?s highest mountain this year has an added uncertainty: China."
As hundreds of climbers are gathering in Kathmandu for climbing expeditions to the south side of Chomolungma, China is exerting pressure on Nepal to ban all expeditions to the mountain during China's olympic year. It seems that Beijing is doing all in its power to avoid someone unfolding a 'Free Tibet' banner at the summit just as the olympic torch gets there.
The cancellations and uncertainty has already cost several hundred people their jobs, at a time when they normally earn most of their annual income, and the people suffering most are the Sherpas. Read more in Billi Bierling's article.
Labels: China, Everest, expeditions, Mount Everest, Nepal
In a recent
article in the Independent, Robert Twigger points out that watching too much television can give the idea that there is nowhere left in the world to explore. You can easily get the impression in one evening, writes Twigger, that you have gone right round the globe. Or even twice, if they're repeating Michael Palin.
However, Robert Twigger passionately believes that exploration is far from being dead and eloquently illustrates what a small percentage of the planet has actually been visited and documented; arguing that the growth in adventure tourism is responsible for a surge in DIY exploration.
To answer this growing interest, he has co-founded the
Explorer School, where adventurers are offered a unique travel experience, combining learning with a genuine expedition to little visited and unrecorded parts of the world. The aim being to equip individuals with the skills necessary to organise their own trips.
Labels: adventure, Adventure Travel, expeditions, explorer, school
