Climbers to scale virgin peak in Himalayas
Bangladeshi and Nepali mountaineers are joining forces to attempt a previously unconquered Himalayan peak, the Bangladeshi team leader M.A. Muhit reports.
AFP reports that the 12-member team will begin the expedition on October 3. They estimate that scaling the 6,257-metre (20,528-foot) peak -- known locally as Chhekego -- could take 21 days.
"If we successfully scale the unclaimed or virgin peak, we plan to name it the Bangladesh-Nepal Friendship Peak," M.A. Muhit said.
The mountain, which is on the Nepal-Tibet border northeast of Kathmandu in Nepal's Dulka district, has not been formally named as no one has successfully scaled it, Muhit added.
Five previous attempts have been made by European trekkers, the latest in 2009 by a Norwegian team, but all have failed due to technical difficulties, Muhit said.
The Nepalese government recognises 120 unclaimed peaks in its portion of the Himalayas, but mountaineers say there may be up to 400 more.
Low-lying Bangladesh has few mountaineers, but public interest in climbing was given a boost when a Bangladeshi journalist, Musa Ibrahim, conquered Mount Everest in May.
Original article: AFP
Image: Nepalese Himalaya (Wikipedia Commons)