Posted: May 29, 2006 03:03 pm EDT
(Press release KATHMANDU, May 28, 2006) South Korean mountaineer Han, Wang Yong and his international Clean Everest (Lhotse) Expedition 2006 team is back to Kathmandu, concluding a month long cleaning campaign.

The team of eight foreign mountaineers and nine Nepali climbing Sherpas conducted the cleaning campaign on the Everest Base Camp up to South Col (fourth camp) in Nepal side, between April 30 and May 23. The team collected more than 1300kg of garbage from the southern slopes of the Himalayas.

...And they had to pay for it, too

The litters include oxygen cylinder, food cans, tents, ladders, ropes, tents, cooking gas cylinder and garments. All these were left discarded by hundreds of mountaineers and trekkers to the Himalayas over the years.

More than 800kgs of biodegradable and light garbage were handed over to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) at Namche for disposal. However, Han complains of at SPCC for charging Rs 30 per kg to dispose the litters. The remaining trash has been airlifted to Kathmandu, where he plans to give some of them to Kathmandu Metropolis and he has a unique plan for some 30 oxygen cylinders.

A gift to remember

It may sound funny and a bit whimsical. But Han is determined. He is set to gifting an empty oxygen cylinder to each expedition team coming to the world’s tallest peak next season, through which he wants to convey that all mountaineers should be aware about keeping the Himalayas free of pollution and garbage.

Han expects that the painted oxygen cylinders with messages to clean mountains and slogans to retaining serene beauty of the Himalayas will be effective in terms of spreading awareness among the mountaineers.

"Climbers only concerned about reaching the summits"

The problem of garbage is not unique to the Himalayas. Han says other mountains more than 8,000 meters high, such as Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Lhotse, Makalu and Annapurna, are affected similarly. Most of the non-biodegradable litter like cans, bottles and cylinders have been lying in the mountains for last many decades because of the high cost involved in collecting them.

“Many mountaineers overlook the environmental problems that the Himalayas are facing today. They (mountaineers) are only concerned about reaching the summits and breaking the records. They have become crazy,” said Han, while talking to the local press in Kathmandu.

"If all the mountaineers bring the litters they make in the Himalayas as much as they can, more than half of the problems related to garbage will be solved," he said.

Already led cleaning campaigns to six mountains including K2

The Clean Everest (Lhotse) Expedition 2006 is a part of Han's ambitious and noble mission to clean all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, which he launched in November 2003, after scaling all those peaks. Han, the 11th 14- 8000m peaks summiteer has already led cleaning campaigns to six mountains including K2, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri and Annapurna.

It may be noted, after decades of neglect that led to the piling up of litter in the tranquil mountains, a few environmentally conscious mountaineers have taken up the task of cleaning the Aegean stables.

Han plans to conduct a similar expedition to the Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, beginning on June 28 and collect litters up to Camp II of the 8,126m high peak. More details will be posted soon.

Indra Gurung, Kathmandu-based journalist.

First he climbed them all. Now he is coming back - to clean them. The 11th person to climb the 14 8000ers on earth, South Korean Han Wang-Yong, launched a campaign in 2003 to clean the base of the mountains which brought him fame and glory.

Han started cleaning 8000+ peaks in October 2003, when he led a cleaning tour stopping at the lower outskirts of Everest, and Manaslu. In summer, 2004, the Korean climber retrieved tons of trash from an exhausted K2 after hundreds of climbers celebrated the mountain anniversary on its slopes. Some weeks later, during the fall season, he focused his efforts on Dhaulagiri. Last year - it was Annapurna's turn; and that's when Han announced he would return to Everest – this time to clean the upper half of the peak, on the Nepali side (from BC to C4 at the South Col).

Many ‘cleaning’ projects in previous years have been actually climbing expeditions, most of all on Everest. Teams have got sponsorship for their environmental aim, but once on the spot, the main goal has turned to reach the summit. In Han's case however, it seems the goal is actually to clean the place.

"I lead this campaign with the objective of handing over the beauty of nature to the coming generations in its original form," a press release quoted Han.

It is remarkable that a Korean climber is leading the initiative, since East Asian teams, often huge and climbing in heavy expedition style, have sometimes been criticized for leaving large amounts of gear and trash on the mountains, mainly in higher camps and along the route to the summit.

On Everest this spring, Han led an international team in an attempt to bring down up to 5 tons of trash, focusing on oxygen bottles and plastic wraps, but also bodies if possible. The latter proved controversial though, as many climbers wish to remain on the mountain.

South Korean Han Wang-Yong, finished his quest to summit all the 14 8000ers on Earth when he reached the top of Broad Peak in summer, 2003. He was the 11th climber to complete the challenge.

It was not until the 1970’s that Koreans began to tackle high mountains abroad. Their first experiences were painful, though. In 1971, Kim Chong-sop and his party attempted to climb Manaslu (8156m). One team member fell to his death. An expedition to Lhotse Shar (8382m) by a party from the Korean Alpine Federation (KAF) failed in that same year due to snowstorms. In Kim Chong-sop’s second attempt on Manaslu in 1972, five members and nine Sherpas died.

The Korean Alpine Club then suspended Himalayan expeditions and, instead, dispatched a total of 13 climbers to French National Climbing and Skiing School (ENSA) in Chamonix for training.

As years passed, the Koreans returned to the Himalayan giants and never left. Check Adventure Stats for an account of their achievements. Source: Kim Jeong-tai and Korean Alpine Club.

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