By Our Correspondent
Kathmandu, Nov. 3: Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah of Qatar has reached the base camp to climb Mt. Amadablam (6,812m) in Solukhumbu. A 14-member team including Prince Sheikh Mohammad, who arrived in Nepal a few days ago, has reached the base camp of Amadablam peak.
Ishwori Poudel, managing director of Himalayan Guides Nepal, said that a team of Americans and Canadians, including the Prince of Qatar, had reached the base camp to climb Amadablam, which is considered to be the most beautiful mountain of the world but difficult to climb.
After the team including the prince arrived in Nepal, they stayed in quarantine in Kathmandu for a week and came to Lukla from Kathmandu on the day of Dashain Tika (October-26) to climb the mountain.
Altogether 16 climbers including Prince Abdullah, American, Canadian and Nepali will climb Mt. Amadablam.
This is the third climbing team of 2020 in Khumbu region during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, two groups including the Prince of Bahrain and three Nepalis had successfully climbed Mt. Lubuche.
Poudel said that the work of rope fixing for the ascent is underway and if the weather remains favourable, the team including the prince will climb the peak and return to Kathmandu within two weeks.
The first ascent of the 6,812m high Amadablam Mountain was made in 1961. Earlier, a team led by Prince Mohammed Hamad Mohammed Al Khalifa of Bahrain had climbed 6,119m high Lobuche Mountain in Solukhumbu and 8,156m high Manaslu Mountain in Gorkha.
Assent of high profile climbers during the time of pandemic is expected to attract more climbers to climb Nepali peaks during this autumn and next spring.
Though the government banned the climbing and trekking activities last spring due to the pandemic, it has been opened up for this autumn season taking health precautions.