Narchyang: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has arrived in Narchyang, Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 to attend a program marking the 75th anniversary of the ascent of Mt Annapurna. The rural municipality is organizing the event to commemorate this significant milestone.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the Diamond Jubilee celebration marks the 75th anniversary of French mountaineer Maurice Herzog’s first ascent of the 8,091-meter-high Annapurna on June 3, 1950. Bharat Kumar Pun, the Rural Municipality chairperson, highlighted the significance of this event.
During the celebration, Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to inaugurate the trail in the Annapurna Base Camp and an open museum. Additionally, he will unveil the statue of climbers who successfully ascended Annapurna. Accompanying the Prime Minister are Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey, and State Minister for Energy, Irrigation and Water Resources Khama Bahadur Garbuja.
The climbing route and the base camp of Annapurna lie in the Narchyang area of the Myagdi district. This peak borders the Myagdi, Kaski, Manang, and Mustang districts. Annapurna is referred to as the ‘elder mountain’ because it was the first peak above 8,000 meters that humans climbed.
The ascent of Mt Everest, also known as Sagarmatha, took place three years after Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal’s team from France reached the summit of Annapurna on June 3, 1950. Lokbahadur Pun, the chairperson of Annapurna Rural Municipality, Ward No 4, mentioned that various programs are being organized to celebrate the First Ascent on Annapurna and the development of Nepal’s mountaineering tourism, highlighting the importance of the Himalayas on the global stage.
The Annapurna Climbing Festival, which began on May 31, will conclude in Pokhara on June 5.