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Legendary climbers and knowledgable specialists were addressing these and other issues at a symposium Wednesday on "Directions in Himalayan Climbing". The event was a prelude to the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival 2002, which kicked off Thursday.
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Seated on the podium in the chilly auditorium of the Russian Cultural Centre were Tashi Jangbu Sherpa, Stipe Bozic, Nawang Gombu, Harish Kapadia, Dr. Harka Gurung and Doug Scott. Brief presentations were followed by an open discussion moderated by Kanak Mani Dixit, editor of Himal. Nawang Gombu, the first man to climb Everest twice and a respected climbing elder who lives in Darjeeling, opened and chaired the symposium.
Climbing in Nepal since the 1970s, Doug Scott is a renowned mountaineer. He made his mark in the climbing world when he summitted Everest by the south-west face in 1975, and went on to be an ace 'alpine style' climber who has lately taken to promoting the welfare of porters.
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Scott discussed the history of climbing in terms of a "progression of difficulty". Mountains were first tackled the easiest way up, then progressively by more difficult routes. The development of equipment such as nylon ropes and lighter plastic boots enabled a move away from the tedious fixed-rope technique to the Alpine style, a self-contained approach to climbing. "There is something so fantastic about going Alpine style...commitment...going for it," marvelled Scott, who felt that climbing a mountain with lots of fixed rope showed lack of that much-valued 'commitment'.
One of the many critical issues Scott raised was why talented Nepali Sherpas had not blazed the 'alpine climbing' trail. He critiqued the trend towards mass climbing and its negative impacts, particularly on Everest. He lauded mountain porters, and maintained that the minimal wages they received were "intolerable".
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Harish Kapadia, Bombay-based editor of the Himalayan Journal and a mountaineer who opened many climbing routes in Kumaon, Garhwal and Kashmir, described the state of mountaineering in the Indian Himalaya. Mountaineering in India was concentrated between clubs and groups in the major metropolises, he said. Kapadia's primary concern was the impact of war in Kashmir, which has closed many areas such as the Siachen Glacier to climbers. (He is proposing a peace park in the region.)
Croatian climber and film-maker Stipe Bozic presented his concerns in a brief but succinct manner. The lack of rescue facilities for mountaineers in the Nepal Himalaya, he felt, was a major hurdle in the further development of the sport. He suggested training courses for local climbers as well as the initiation of a system of insurance. Bozic will make a presentation on the "holy mountains" of the world on the evening of 8 December, the last day of the festival.
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Ang Tshering Sherpa, the present president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (which together with Himal Association organised the symposium), spoke from the floor and made a point-by-point presentation regarding the initiatives being taken regarding training, rescue, revenue-sharing, and the matter of the much-maligned system of the 'liaison officer'.
Following the presentation by the experts, there was a give-and-take session with the audience, and the matters that came up for discussion included debate on the appropriate name - Everest/Chomolongma/Sagarmatha, the matter of royalty-sharing, environmental concerns, and, again, liaison officers.
The symposium closed on a note of introspection, with cultural activist Rinchen Yonjan suggesting from the audience that the private sector ask itself what it had done to promote the "spirit of the Himalaya".