KATHMANDU — Fifteen Nepalese civil servants will soon abandon their desks for the slopes of Everest to improve government understanding of the challenges facing the Himalayas, organisers said Tuesday.
The civil servants from different ministries, including tourism, education and foreign affairs, are aged between 27 and 54 and aim to reach the top of the world's highest peak during the main climbing season in May.
The 30-million-rupee ($420,000) cost of the expedition is being covered by the state, and team member Laxman Bhattarai said he hoped it would help the team understand the impact of climate change and mass tourism.
"This will be the first time government employees will leave their desks and head for such a challenging mission," Bhattarai, the spokesman for Nepal's tourism ministry, told journalists.
"The government officials who work with mountaineers don't have any practical experience of the mountains, and that has hampered the process of formulating policies related to this sector."
Around 3,000 people have climbed the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) Himalayan peak, which straddles Nepal and China, since it was first conquered by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
The 15 members of the government team began training for the climb last summer and will leave Kathmandu in early April to begin their 75-day expedition.
Before ascending to Everest base camp they will climb the 6,160-metre Island Peak to help them acclimatise to the altitude.
Their trainer Padam Ghale, an experienced mountain guide, said he was confident all 15 would make it to the top, even though none had any prior experience of mountaineering.
"It was a new experience for me to train these people. They are mentally and physically fit to climb," said Ghale adding that more training sessions have been planned for the coming months.
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