Mountaineering Association turns 50

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Nov. 2: Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has completed 49 years of its establishment.  It celebrated the establishment day on Tuesday with various activities, said the NMA in a statement. 

A group of 6 tourism experts and tourism entrepreneurs-- Dr. Harka Gurung, Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah, Tshering Tenjing Lama, Nityaman Singh Pradhan, Tek Chandra Pokhrel and Shambhu Tamang had established the NMA on  November 1,1973 to promote mountain tourism, preserve the mountain environment and cultural heritage of mountain people. 

NMA has also been managing 27 peaks in Nepal with the authority of the Government of Nepal.

It is a full member association of UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) and founding member of UAAA (Union of Asian Alpine Association).

Honourary Member of UIAA and also Chief Advisor of NMA Ang Tshering Sherpa said, “Nepali tourism sector was regulated from Darjeeling of India at the beginning. These founder members later established the NMA and started to work for the promotion of Nepali tourism from Nepal.” 

According to him, “Nepali tourism would not be where it is today if they had not initiated it then. I would like to thank them for doing all this for us and Nepali mountain tourism.”

Director of the Mountaineering Department under the Department of Tourism, Yubaraj Khatiwada and Deputy Superintendent of Tourism Police Suganda Shrestha also expressed their wish to collaborate with NMA for the revival of Nepali mountain tourism.