Unique mountaineering museum in Pokhara

By A Staff Reporter

Finally the most ambitious and unique project undertaken by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has begun to take shape. After more than three years of constant efforts, the first phase of the construction of the International Mountain Museum (IMM) is seeing the light of the day..

The IMM project is the biggest project of its kind with a budget estimate of more than US $ 1.1 million undertaken by the NMA. Being constructed with the objectives to record, document, and to chronicle the past and the present developments of mountaineering activities in the world and to preserve the story of great mountaineering feats achieved in the history of mountaineering in the Himalayan region, the IMM project occupies 6 hectares of land at a scenic place in Pokhara valley.

An artist's view of the International Mountain Museum.

The first phase of project work encompasses the construction of the Main Museum Hall. It was targeted to be completed by the end of 2000. However, due to the unavailability of the expected funds in time, the project has fallen a little short of its target. “The construction work is progressing smoothly. By middle of next year, we hope one portion of the Museum can be started,” Sarosh Pradhan, Architect and the project director of IMM informed.

Initially, this Museum was concieved to be established in Kathmandu. But, Dr. Harka Gurung was very instrumental about it’s establishment in Pohkara rather than in Kathmandu. The Annapurna region is one of the favourite trekking and mountaineering routes to the people who came to visit Nepal. All of those people stay in Pokhara for a couple of days. “With the establishment of this Museum in Pokhara, those trekkers and mountaineers will get a chance to learn more about the world of mountains,” Dr. Gurung said. 

Many travel trade entreprenuers also belive that once the IMM project is completed, it will add extra attraction to Pokhara. As such, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) officials had selected the construction site of the Museum for one of its Off-Site Breakout Session during the 12th PATA Adventure Travel and Ecotourism Conference and Mart, held in Pokhara from January 28-31, 2000. During that session, project director Pradhan presented a fact paper on the project.

On successful completion of the Museum Hall, other phases of the project will gradually be started, Pradhan informed. The other phase of the project includes activities like construction of Administrative Building, Conference Hall, Restautrant Hall, Guest House for students and the Entrance Gate. All the construction works have been done according to the master plan drawn with assistance from Narendra Pradhan and Sandy Kentro Associates. 

The main Museum Hall will house the halls for exhibit display, an audio visual hall and conservation room for exhibits. There will be two main exhibition halls in the Museum Hall — the Hall of the Great Himalaya and the Hall of the World Mountains. “Both these halls will have models of famous peaks, mannequins of famous climbers, equipment and material used in mountaineering history, culture and life style of mountain people, flora and fauna including geological information,” he pointed out.

“Beside construction work, we are at the moment compiling the contents for the exhibition,” Pradhan informed and added, “we are also preparing a script to identify the objects to be exhibited in the Museum.”

When NMA started this project, it almost seemed to be a distant dream to them. But once it started it, alpine clubs all around the world began to help the NMA. “With different alpine clubs supporting the project we can now see an interesting thing happenning here,” Pradhan added. The general assembly of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation held in October 1998 had unanimously endorsed the Project and also initiated to raise funds for it.

Similarly, SANPAKU, a Japanese organization comprising of Japan Mountaineering Association, Japanese Alpine Club, Japan Worker’s Alpine Federation, HAT-J, Himalayan Association Japan, Nippon Nepal Society, has made a special financial assistance worth more than US $ 175,000. Likewise, the Indian Mountaineering Federation, Chinese Mountaineering Federation, Korean Alpine Club, Hiroshima Mountaineering Federation, French Alpine Club, Australian Army Mountaineering Club, ICIMOD and other international mountaineering organizations have also pledged their their support for the museum.

Soaltee Challenge Golf tourney

By A Staff Reporter

The annual Soaltee Challenge Golf tournament will be held at the Royal Nepal Golf Club on 11 and 12 February 2000. This annual fixture will be the 13th tournament held at the club with the organisational support of Soaltee Hotel Limited, the owning company of Nepal’s premier hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza Kathmandu.

This fixture is considered to be one of the most coveted tournaments in the annual golfing calendar of the Royal Nepal Golf Club and has seen some exciting golfing action over the years.

Owing to the tremendous response, from the golfers of the club and hence with the difficulties in giving required time slots for tee off to finish the tournament within one day, the tournament committee has moved away slightly from the estalbished one day format this year, to introduce an interesting two day format in order make room for the maximum numbers of golfing enthusiasts.

This annual tournament is one of few tournaments played on stroke format at the RNGC and therefore, gives the players an opportunity to fare to the best of their golfing ability.

The winners of various categories take way exciting list of prizes and the prizes has been categorized as per the following so as to generate enhanced excitement among the participants.

It may be noted that Soaltee Hotel Limited is in the forefront of Golf development in Nepal and with the view of vast tourism potential linking to the development of the golf in Nepal it now becomes vital for the local community to increase it’s awareness about golf.

Some of the past winners of the tournament are the golfing regulars at the club and members of the dimplomatic and expatriate community in Kathmandu.

“It gives us a great pleasure to continue this support to the Royal Nepal Golf Club by organising this event and we hope all our friends in golfing fraternity will enjoy the tournament” said Bijay Bahadur Shrestha.

HAN-FBNNTO sign MoU

By A Staff Reporter

Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) and Friends of Britain and Nepal (FBNNTO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Kathmanu recently to promote Nepal as an exotic destination in the United Kingdom.

According to the MOU, to provide information about Nepal to the British tourists visiting Nepal hospitality desk of Hotel Association Nepal the institution will be established in the office of FBNNTO in the UK whereas the latter’s office will be established in HAN. Since UK is a prime market for Nepalese tourism, HAN has agreed to provide all tourism promotional materials to FBNNTO for the distribution to the related agencies, tour operators and travel agents as well as to individual tourists. FBNNTO has agreed to work as a facilitator and liaison for any activities related meets, visit of hoteliers to meet with tour operators, travel agents and related agencies organized by HAN. The agreement was signed by Narendra Bajracharya, President, HAN and Dhruba KC, President, FBNNTO on behalf of respective associations.