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Himalayan Times CMYK THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, JULY 27, 2019 www.thehimalayantimes.com PAGE 7 The HimalayaON S A T U R D A Y n KCC facility boasts the world’s highest Walltopia indoor training wall at 3,840 metres Photos: Courtesy Amrit Ale Hope springs from ashes of tragedy A death on a mountain urges this US duo to build a training facility that will ensure safety of climbing Sherpas and high altitude workers Rajan Pokhrel According to Jennifer, losing the Himalayas. Most of the Kathmandu Alex she likened to what it must teachers now are Nepalis.” be like when a member of any The KCC is home to the tech- t was in 2002 and an climbing Sherpa family dies. nical climbing school and gym, American couple trekked In 2003, Jennifer, who later the Jon Johnston Mountaineer- to the village of Phortse married Conrad, launched a ing Library, and the Magic Yeti in Solukhumbu district project to build the ‘Khumbu Children’s Library which are to begin their climbing Climbing Centre’ in Phortse overseen by the ALCF and KCC activities on the world’s through the Alex Lowe Charita- board. The libraries have a col- Ihighest mountain. ble Foundation (ALCF). “The lection of over 1,200 mountain- “We had decided to do some Foundation was set up immedi- eering books donated by Ameri- ice climbing at Phortse before ately after Alex’s death while its can Alpine Club member Bill heading to the Everest Base first project was carried out in Felstiner of California. The med- Camp along with our Sherpa Mongolia,” she added. ical clinic inside the KCC facility guides,” recounted Jennifer According to Conrad, he be- is being overseen by the Himala- Lowe-Anker adding that all the came close to Jennifer after yan Trust. It has also been serv- Sherpa guides were fascinated Alex’s death, who he married ing as a community centre and watching them climb. later. “We saw what happens earthquake refuge for the village Jennifer, an artist and author, when someone responsible for a of Phortse at an altitude of above talked to Conrad Anker, her family loses his life,” said Con- 3,800m. In recent years, there climbing partner, to contribute rad, a renowned climber who were over 500 KCC graduates something to the Khumbu peo- located George Mallory’s body working on Mt Everest in the ple, from which they could learn on Mt Everest, and added, main climbing season. safe climbing techniques. “So, our goal was to make climb- “It is our hope that the KCC “The Sherpa guides’ reaction ing safer.” will thrive under direction of the inspired us to give back to the lo- They both knew that there local KCC and Phortse leader- cals,” she shared. was tremendous loss of life ship,” said Jennifer. Hence, the concept for the amongst the Sherpa community Amrit Ale, Phunuru Sherpa, Khumbu Climbing Centre (KCC) on Mt Everest. “We knew that Ang Dawa Sherpa and Danuru was conceived. “But, frankly one of the main reasons behind Sherpa will be managing and speaking, the idea for KCC the tragic incidents could be at- Courtesy: Karl Swingle Media overseeing the facility as its stemmed from a tragedy,” said tributed to lack of proper train- community-based programme. pal Treks, who provided logistic quake,” Jennifer shared. “While KCC’s earthquake resistant doors were opened on June 12, Jennifer while talking to this dai- ing for high altitude workers.” To materalise the KCC project, support to the KCC facility. the volunteers carried out con- and passive solar building which was also a celebration to ly in Kathmandu. Jennifer’s hus- The Montana-based couple ALCF brought together the In 2007, two families — Lhak- struction work of KCC, we features training walls, library recognise years of planning, band Alex Lowe, who was a launched the KCC project with a who’s who in the climbing world pa Dorje, Nawang and Karma added English language pro- and medical clinic building and rebuilding, learn- world-renowned alpine climber, mission to increase the safety including the world’s foremost Tsering, and Panuru and Pasang gramme because proper com- ing, development, growth and had died in an avalanche on margin for Nepali climbers and high-altitude mountaineer Pe- Diki generously donated land munication in any dangerous gratitude, countless hours spent Sishapangma in Tibet when he high altitude workers by encour- ter Athans, Jon Krakauer, an ac- for the KCC building, while from situations is important.” tude workers during the climb- by volunteers from around was there with Conrad on a ski aging responsible climbing complished mountaineer and 2008-2010, graduate students Jennifer believes that English ing season,” Conrad said, add- the world, local workers, tre- expedition in 1999. practices in a supportive and renowned author of Into Thin from the Montana State Univer- is the lingua franca in most of ing that it has not only been sup- mendously talented craftsmen Air and Into the Wild, Steve sity School of Architecture the mountains. “Lila, wife of porting them but also safe- and women. Mock, Steve Swenson, Chris launched and completed a de- Barry Bishop, also trekked to the guarding the indigenous climb- It is a labour of love for a com- Lohss, Sten Anderson and Gor- sign collaboration with Phortse Everest region to open English ing community in Nepal. munity extending far beyond don Wiltsie among others. village under the direction of language class.” Each winter for two weeks, the terraced fields and lives of “Over 16 years, we have seen Prof Mike Everts. According to Jennifer, the technical climbing skills are those instrumental to KCC’s es- more than 1,300 graduates from “Dean Soderberg from the US KCC facility, built with a cost of taught along with English lan- tablishment. It’s also a celebra- KCC as they learned technical oversaw the initial ground- Rs 74 million, was a collabora- guage, mountain safety, rescue, tion of opportunity for a climbing skills including belay breaking and construction tive effort. and wilderness first aid. “In the whole new generation of climb- techniques, knot tying and how work. Completion of the facility “Its training is safeguarding all beginning, our instructors were ers as well as traders — men and to use ice tools, vital to their was in phases with a four year Himalayan climbers who em- qualified western climbers and women, artists, lodge owners, safety,” the couple shared. push since the 2015 earth- ploy Nepali guides and high alti- guides who had experience in farmers, teachers, specialists, Formally opened on June 12, among others. KCC has a new earthquake re- A lot of volunteers worked for sistant and passive solar build- the project over the past years. ing with outdoor training walls, Now the community owns it. walltopia indoor climbing wall, There is no debt, and the build- mountaineering library and a ing is completely paid for. medical clinic. “I also must stress how grate- “The KCC facility boasts the ful we are to the many western highest Walltopia indoor train- volunteer instructors and build- ing wall in the world at 3,840 ers who came to contribute time metres while the wall was de- or oversee the construction,” signed by Noah Bigwood of Mo- said Jennifer. mentun Gyms and Ryan Walters Phillip Henderson who has 20 who constructed it onsite,” Con- years experience at the National rad informed. Outdoor Leadership School Ferrying some of the con- will be onsite this coming Sep- struction materials from Kath- tember to help initiate the busi- mandu was quite challenging, ness plan and operations, recounted Jiban Ghimire, Man- Jennifer, also the ALCF Presi- aging Director at Shangri-La Ne- dent, concluded. Conrad Anker and Performers at the formal Jennifer Lowe-Anker opening of KCC on June 12.
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