Rijiju flags off 4-peak Everest expedition of IMA team
- Mar 28, 2021,
- Updated Mar 28, 2021, 12:48 AM IST
NEW DELHI: The union minister of state for youth affairs and sports Kiren Rijiju, flag off the Everest Massif Expedition 2021 from New Delhi on Saturday.
The Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) team will lead this one-of-a-kind two-month expedition to Nepal, where they will climb Mount Nuptse (7,861 metres), Mount Pumori (7,161 metres), Mount Lhotse (8,516 metres), and Mount Everest (8,848 metres).
ALSO READ: 121-day Tokyo Olympic torch relay begins from Fukushima
“Extremely excited to flag off the #EverestMassifExpedition 2021, a first Indian expedition in which the team will summit four world famous peaks: Nuptse (7861m), Lhotse (8516m), Pumori (7161m) and Everest (8848m) from the same base camp. My best wishes to the team!,” Kiren Rijiju tweeted.
The team consists of 12 mountaineers, six men and six women, making it the smallest team in Indian mountaineering history to summit all four peaks in one expedition.
Rijiju urged Indian youth not to be lazy and to engage in adventure sports. That will bring happiness, improve leadership skills, and helped to become physically fit, mentally tough, and spiritually strong.
The team will also help clean the Upper Khumbu Glacier and the Western Cwm, which are situated near the Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse mountain peaks, during the mountaineering expedition.
Manita Pradhan, Manish Kashniyal, Skalzang Rigzin, Nawab M Khan, Shanti Rai, Stanzen Youthog, Savita Kanswal, Hem Raj, Stanzin Norboo, Baljeet Kaur, and Stanzen Desal are among the mountaineers.
Chetna Joshi, a doctor and senior mountaineer, and IMF member Brig Krishan Kumar will accompany them (retd).