The Great Himalayan Trail – Climate Smart Celebrity Trek

 

[Published: 20th January 2012]

Press Release

There had been organized a Solemn Event by the Consulate of Nepal in Slovenia in cooperation with the Alpine Association of Slovenia, Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Slovene Ethnographic Museum, Ljubljana for awarding recognition of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation of the Government of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to the Mountaineers from Slovenia, who have conquered the Peak of the Mt. Everest at the premises of Slovene Ethnographic Museum on 16th December 2011.

Slovenia and Nepal are two friendly mountain countries, if Slovenia have got small mountains, Nepal have got the highest mountains in the world. The mountains in Nepal do not mean just scene for sport reach and unforgettable experience but, they are also home for Gods and people, surviving means, hard work and bread for lot of families living in the valley of those mountains. Thus the Government of Nepal and Nepal Mountaineering Association wish to return kindness and achievements by awarding high recognition to the Slovene Mountaineers not only for their victory to the Peak of the Highest Mountain in the world Mt. Everest 8.848m from the direction of Nepal, but also for their contribution to the development of Mountain Tourism in Nepal, and further to their concern for safe work of the Nepali porters in high mountain at the end of Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

Slovenia having only two million populations has got 17 Mt. Everest summiteers and has been rated among the best Mountaineers in the World. The first expedition of then Yugoslavia  respectively Republic of Slovenia to the Mt. Everest was organized under the leadership of Mr. Tone Škarja from Slovenia through the most difficult south direction of the Everest, which hasn’t been conquered by any expedition of the World so far.  Mr. Andrej Štremfelj, Jernej Zaplotnik, Mr. Stane Belak from Slovenia, Mr. Stipe Božič from Croatia and Mr. Ang Phu Sherpa from Nepal had conquered the peak of the Everest in the expedition 1979. It is worth to point out some significant victory of the Slovene Mountaineers such as: Mr. Davo Karnicar as a fist Mountaineer in the World conquered the peak of the Everest and skied down to the bottom of the Everest at a time without break, Mr. Viki Groselj have conquered 10 eight thousand high mountains of the world out of 14 and Mr. Andrej Štremfelj and his wife Marija Štremfelj are the first couple in the world, who have conquered the peak of the Everest. Besides them four other Mountaineers of Slovenia: Mr. Tadej Golob, Matej Flis, Gregor lačen and Mr Tomaž Jakofčič have been awarded the recognition of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation of the Government of Nepal by Mr. Aswin Kumar Shrestha, Honorary Consul of Nepal in Slovenia in the accompany of Mr. Bojan Rotovnik, President of the Alpine Association of Slovenia, who presented the flowers to the summiteers and Mr. Zimba Zangbu Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountain Association awarded them khata. Besides that Mr. Sherpa awarded the plackets of NMA to the Management and Leader of the Expedition  as meritorious of organizing the expeditions to Himalaya in accompany of Honorary Consul of Nepal in Slovenia Mr. Shrestha to present flowers to the receivers of the plackets:  Mr. Bojan Rotovnik, President of Alpine Association of Slovenia and its Former President Mr. Franc Ekar, Mr. Tone Škarja, Head of the committee for foreign mountains, Mr. Bojan Pollak, Head of the Training for Mountain Guides, Mr. Aleš Kunaver, Founder of Mountain School in Manang, Mr. Zoran Jerin, Journalist and Mountaineer writer of many books about Nepal, Mrs. Dušiča Kunaver, Collector of data and publication of many books on Slovene expedition and Translator of Folk Tales of Nepal.    .

During the speech of Mr. Shrestha and Mr. Sherpa, both thanked and expressed their gratitude to the Alpine Association of Slovenia for their kind cooperation with Nepal Mountaineering Association in organizing the training for Mountain Guides to the Nepalese for safe climbing to the Himalaya, for rescuing in the mountains, skill of First Add etc. at the School for Mountain Guides in Manang. The school was built with the financial support of then Yugoslavia and then Republic of Slovenia in the initiative of Mr. Aleš Kunaver in 1979. According to Mr. Zimba, there have been trained 1045 mountain guides in that school to date, among which he counts himself as one of the trainees. He further, appreciated the Honorary Consul of Nepal in Slovenia Mr. Aswin K. Shrestha for the organization of such majestic event on the occasion of Nepal Tourism Year 2011. According to him the gravity of such program will be definitely observed in the promotion of Nepal’s mountain tourism year and in the following years.

Mr. Bojan Rotovnik, President of the Alpine Association of Slovenia thanked Mr. Shrestha and Mr. Sherpa for their kind words and expressed his satisfaction in developing good cooperation with the Nepal Mountaineering Association, especially in organizing jointly, the training for Mountain Guides in Manang. In the mean time he thanked the Consulate of Nepal in organizing the solemn event to award the certificates of the Ministry of Tourism of the Government of Nepal to successful summiteers of the Mt. Everest from Slovenia in approaching the end of the Nepal Tourism Year 2011. He also expressed his sincere thanks to the Nepal Mountaineering Association for providing a corner to the Alpine Association of Slovenia to introduce its success in Himalaya at the International Mountain Museum, Pokhara, Nepal.

In the cultural programme of that event cooperated Mr. Ravi Shrestha in Guitar, Ms Anica Prelovsek in fluit, Dr.Lasanthi Manaranjanie Kalinga Dona in violin and Mr. Vasja Stukelj in Tablas, who entertained all the participants of the event with real Nepalese and Slovene songs.

The solemn event had been participated by more than 150 participants: Foreign diplomats located in Slovenia, Consuls and Honorary Consuls, VIP delegates of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Slovenia and friends of Nepal from Slovenia.

After the end of the solemn event the guests were invited to enjoy the Slovene national sweet-potica, Slovene wines, Slovene beer, fruit juices and other drinks sponsored by Slovene companies and Wine producers.

Ljubljana, 20.12.2011

                                                                                  Mag. Aswin Kumar Shrestha
Honorary Consul of Nepal in Slovenia

Slovensko sporočilo za javnost

Foto: Zdenka Mihelič