Press conference on the recent decision of Supreme Court and 5th Int'l Mountain Festival

NMA organized a press conference on 1 Dec 2018 to inform about the recent decision by the Supreme Court on the case filed regarding the election held in 2017. On the hearing on 22 Nov, the Supreme Court dismissed the case and instructed current executive board to work as per its statute. NMA Secretary Tika Ram Gurung read out the press note to inform about the details of the decision. NMA President Santa Bir Lama expressed his gratefulness to all the well-wishers and supports for the cooperation received during the hearing.

In the press conference organized on the same day, NMA also informed about its annual program 5th International Mountain Festival to be held at International Mountain Museum, Pokhara from 10 – 12 Dec 2018. NMA General Secretary Kul Bahadur Gurung informed about all the programs to be organized the festival.

Financial assistance for the victims of Mt. Gurja- 1 Dec

The financial assistance received from Mr. Sung Kihak, Chairman of Youngone Outdoor for the victims of Mt. Gurja was handed over to the families of victims of Mt. Gurja. President of Union of Asian Alpine Association (UAAA) Dr. Inn –Jeoung Lee gave away the financial assistance to the families in the special program organized on 1 Dec. Director General of Department of Tourism Dandu Raj Ghimire and other board members were also present in the program.

5th International Mountain (The Great Himalayan) Festival,10-12 Dec 2018, International Mountain Musuem, Pokhara

Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) organized 5th International Mountain (The Great Himalayan) Festival at International Mountain Museum (IMM), Pokhara from 10 -12 Dec 2018 with the theme of "Mountain Matters"

1st day- 10 De 2018:

NMA- Himalayan Cycling Competition

On the first day of 5th International Mountain (The Great Himalayan) Festival, NMA- Himalayan Cycling Competition was organized and it started from IMM premises. The competition was inaugurated by Ward No 17 Tirtha Raj Adhikari President of Pokhara Metropolitan City. 25 cyclists participated in the competition and the competition the distance of 25 km. The result of the competition is as follows:

Rank	Name (Male)	Timing	Name (Female)	Timing
1st	Laxman Malla	01:40:00:11	Laxmi Magar	02:00:16
2nd	Hikmat B.K	01:46:06	Sony Gurung	02:10:14
3rd	Suman Gurung	01:48:07	Humibuda Magar	02:21:10

NMA Toni Hagen Tourism Painting

In the memory of world class geographer Toni Hagen, a painting competition titled NMA Toni Hagen Tourism Painting was organized at the premises of IMM. There were 9 painters actively participated in the competition. The result of the competition is as follows:

Rank	Name (Male)	Prize Amount (Nrs)
Outstanding	Manoj Tamang	14000
Excellent	Gopal Darai	10000
Excellent	Jagat Pun	10000
Special	Sudin Shrestha	5000
Special	Rik Gurung	5000
Special	Akash Gurung	5000
Motivational	Jyoti Gurung	3000
Motivational	Alita Gurung	3000

Hon'ble Constituent Member Bindu Kmumar Thapa inaugurated the Bouldering Competition organized on the occasion of International Mountain Festival. There were 14 male and 6 female participants in the bouldering competition. On the final day of the competition, Director General of Department of Tourism Dandu Raj Ghimire, gave away certificates and cash prize to the winners of the competition.

Rank	Name (Male)	Name (Female)	Prize (Nrs)
1st	Bhim Bahadur Tamang	Pancha Maya Tamang	50000
2nd	Bijay Sunuwar	Swastika Chaudhary	30000
3rd	Tenzing Rai (Tin Tin)	Meenisha Dhamala	10000

The three day 5th International Mountain Festival also witnessed cultural program representing different ethnic groups and mountain community of Nepal from different parts of Nepal.

Tary (Archery) is the traditional game played by ethnic community Thakali and it was also organized during the festival. The participation of the local people in this category was also very impressive.

The competition of the traditional game of Gurung community called Chhelo ( Shot-put) was also organized during the festival.

 

IInd Day- 11 Dec 2018

 

NMA-Baikuntha Manandhar Himalayan Marathon Competition

NMA President Santa Bir Lama inaugurated NMA-Baikuntha Manandhar Himalayan Marathon Competition on the second day of the festival. The marathon covered the distance of 21 km ( male category) and 10 km ( female category). It was coordinated by legendry marathoner Baikuntha Manandhar.

Rank	Name	Prize Amount	Timing
Ist	Hom Lal Shrestha	Tribhuvan Army Club	1:21:26
IInd	Krishna Basnet	Tribhuvan Army Club	1:21:38.2
IIIrd	Khagendra Bhat	Tribhuvan Army Club	1:22:54.2
IVth	Laxman Malla	Army Police Force	1:29.28
Vth	Om Chetri	Army Police Force	1:34:43.4
VIth	Gorkhe Rai	Sankhuwasabha	1:41:33.4
VIIth	Tejendra Rai	Jhapa	1:43.56

 

Rank	Name	Prize Amount	Timing
Ist	Sarita Bassi	Tribhuvan Army Club	35:21:59
IInd	Reshu Basnet	Tribhuvan Army Club	36:32.2
IIIrd	Chumi Budhamagar	Pyuthan	37:43.8
IVth	Srijana Rai	Sankhuwasabha	40:47.7
Vth	Lalita Lamichhane	Pokhara	41:18.5

 

Inauguration program

Hon'ble Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari inaugurated 5th International Mountain (The Great Himalayan) Festival by watering on the plant. The official program of inauguration was conducted under the chairmanship of NMA President Santa Bir Lama. Co-convener of IMM Committee -Bijay Gurung welcomed all chief guest and all the distinguished guests followed by the national anthem and a minute silent in the memory of mountaineers deceased on mountains. Prior to the inauguration program, the chief guest offered garland to the three major contributors of NMA- Founder President Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah, Former Chief Adviser Dr. Harka Gurung and Former President Dawa Norbu Sherpa. After the visit of IMM, the chief guest and other VIPs also visited all the stalls exhibited at the IMM premises.

Hon'ble Minister also awarded the following personalities for their outstanding contribution for the development of mountain tourism through NMA and IMM:

• Mr. Tashi Zangbu Sherpa- Former President NM
• Mr. Bhumi Lal Lama- Former IInd VP and General Secretary NMA
• Mr. Kamal Man Gurung- IMM Adviser
• Mr. Hari Dhoj Tulachan-IMM Adviser
• Mr. Jhalak Thapa- Former IMM Convener
• Mr. Kushal Gurung- Former Mountain Festival Director

On the same occasion, veteran Korean climber Um Hong Gil was also awarded with Kumar Khadga Bikram Shahashik Award for his active contribution for the promotion of Nepal's mountain tourism globally and energetic involvement in the social sectors like education, health has also helped in the uplift of people living in the mountain regions. The official program was also followed by the handover of the The Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal to Daniel Mazur, Ph.D. for his contribution in cultural preservation and social welfare in mountain communities and in natural conservation along with responsible adventure in mountain environment.

Remarks by Hon'ble Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari:

The chief guest of the program, Hon'ble Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari appreciated the role of NMA in the promotion of Nepal's mountain tourism globally. He also recalled the historic facts of IMM and explained the positive contribution of IMM to the development of Pokhara's tourism and finally established as one of the tourism products of Pokhara. He expressed his gratefulness for having opportunity to honor the various legendries in the program and wished for their bright future in the tourism field.

Remarks by the recipient of Kuma Khadga Bikram Shahashik Award- Um Hong Gil

The veteran Korean climber Um Hong Gil thanked NMA for choosing him as the recipient of Kumar Khadga Bikram Shahashik Award 2018. Mr. Gil mentioned that he was motivated very much due to NMA's recognition and committed his active involvement in the development of mountain and its communities in Nepal in the days to come.

Vote of thanks- NMA President Santa Bir Lama

The chairman of the official program, NMA President Santa Bir Lama thanked Chief Guest Hon' ble Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari, high level government officials, board members of Nepal Tourism Board for their presence in the program. He also congratulated the recipients of award and letter of appreciation and extended his request for suggestions for the betterment of NMA.

Documentary screening: "Re-visiting Batulechaur after 354 years"

A documentary entitled Re-visiting Batulecharu after 354 years was screened on the second day of the festival. The film was directed by Prof. Makito Minami and it focuses on the Batulchaur- a village of Gaine (Gandharba). This film explained the changes that have been occurred in the intervening years and their implications.

III rd Day -12 Dec 2018

The closing ceremony of 5th International Mountain (The Great Himalayan) Festival took place on 12 Dec 2018 and Hon' ble State Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning Kiran Gurung was chief guest of the program. The former President of NMA Annapurna Chapter and Adviser Haridhhoj Tulachan chaired the closing ceremony. IMM Adviser Kamal Man Gurung, Adviser of 5th International Mountain Festival Kushal Gurung, IMM Committee members Hari Lamichhane, Shiva Ranjeet were also present in the program. The program was conducted by NMA General Secretary Kul Bahadur Gurung.

Remarks from Hon'ble State Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning Kiran Gurung: The chief guest of the program, Hon'ble State Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning Kiran Gurung stated the importance of programs like Mountain Festival and how it can play positively for the development of tourism in Pokhara. The chief guest appreciated the endeavor of organizer for initiating such programs and assured the necessary cooperation from the state government for the promotion of International Mountain Museum. Finally, Hon'ble Minister thanked NMA and IMM for choosing Pokhara to organize Mountain Festival continuously for 5 years and wished the festival would become one of the major tourism activities of Pokhara in the days to come.

In the closing remarks by chairperson of the program, Hari Dhoj Tulachan expressed his thankfulness for the active participation from all the sectors in 5th International Mountain Festival. Mr. Tulachan also requested for the support from all the corners of Pokhara in future to organize this festival in a grand manner in the days to come.