Kathmandu, September 24
Twenty-nine trainees and six instructors from the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) have successfully climbed 6,355-metre Danga Peak in the Kanchenjunga region after completing professional mountaineering guide training.
The team completed the association’s regular training programme, titled ‘Summer Skills for Professional Mountain Guides’, before making the successful ascent of the peak.
The Nepal Mountaineering Association, which has contributed to Nepal’s mountain tourism sector for the past 53 years, has been conducting various mountaineering-related training programmes for many years.
For the past three years, the association has been conducting the summer skills training based on a 1,696-hour curriculum approved by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT).
The second phase of the programme requires trainees to undergo practical training on a mountain at an altitude of 6,000 metres or above.
This year’s training was conducted at Danga Peak in partnership with the Sustainable Tourism Project (STP). A total of 33 trainees, including one foreign participant, took part in the programme.
The trainees first completed rock-climbing and other theoretical classes in Kathmandu before travelling to Danga Peak for glacier training in a real mountain environment.
After more than a week of glacier training at the peak, the trainees and instructors successfully climbed Danga Peak.
Trainees lead the climb
According to chief instructor Sarki Sherpa, trainees take the lead during the mountain expedition after receiving around 40 days of theoretical and practical training in Kathmandu and on the relevant mountain.
“After teaching practical and theoretical skills for around 40 days in Kathmandu and on the mountain, the trainees are taken for the summit. The entire ascent is led by the trainees themselves,” Sherpa said.
He said instructors observe and assess the trainees’ work and skills during the climb and intervene only when they make a mistake.
“Their proficiency is reflected in the results of the skills they demonstrate during the training and ascent,” he said.
The association considers mountain climbing an important component of the training programme. Trainees are required to apply the skills they have learned while leading the ascent.
The programme is designed to prepare them to work professionally as mountain guides on other mountains in Nepal.
Training linked to employment
Instructor and NMA central executive committee member Dawatasi Sherpa said the programme aims to produce skilled human resources for Nepal’s mountain tourism industry.
“We have been organising this training with the objective of producing skilled manpower for Nepal’s mountain tourism. It is a major achievement for us that such a large number of trainees successfully climbed the mountain,” he said.
He said the success of the trainees could help meet the demand for skilled workers in Nepal’s mountain tourism sector and contribute to making mountain tourism safer and more reliable.
The training programme is also directly linked to employment opportunities for Nepali youths.
Mountain guides working on Nepal’s mountains require the black, blue or red books issued by the association. Trainees who successfully complete this programme are eligible to obtain the blue book directly.
The qualification enables them to work as professional mountain guides on mountains across Nepal.
Another instructor, Sanjeev Gurung, said the programme was important from several perspectives, particularly because of its connection to employment and the development of Nepal’s mountain tourism sector.
“The most visible outcomes are employment for all trainees who successfully complete the programme and the strengthening of Nepal’s mountain tourism sector,” Gurung said.
He added that the association should continue the programme and that support from all stakeholders was necessary.
Multiple stages to become a professional mountain guide
The government-recognised training curriculum covers several components.
Only trainees who have successfully completed the basic skills training are eligible to participate in the summer skills programme.
Those who complete the summer skills training can then participate in the winter skills programme.
They must also complete training in areas including long-line rescue, heli-marshal operations and first aid before receiving certification as professional mountain guides.
