While climbers are trekking and flying to Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, and the Everest region, in Nepal’s cities, Gen Z are protesting against government corruption and the newly imposed social media blackout.
Gen Z protest
The surprising decision by Nepal’s Government to ban social media platforms in the country has been greeted with demonstrations in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Butwal, Biratnagar, and other cities over the weekend. Today in Kathmandu, thousands of demonstrators, the majority of them young people in their teens and twenties, have stormed the Federal Parliament premises in New Baneshwor district, breaking through police barricades and climbing over gates, The Himalayan Times reported.
Police have responded to the protests with tear gas and water cannons. The government has imposed a curfew in the area, which is close to Thamel and several of the city’s main tourist attractions. Tourists are advised to be cautious and to stay informed about blocked areas and safety issues.
Tourism industry struggling
The ban on social media has seriously impaired the work of tourism-related companies right at the beginning of the peak fall season. Agencies, guides, and other stakeholders are managing as best as they can, often using VPNs. Some companies are still posting to Instagram today, but the blackout has seriously affected communications via WhatsApp.
“We need to stay connected with hundreds of clients around the world, many of whom are preparing to come to Nepal for trekking and climbing, so when communication is blocked, our dreams and livelihoods are directly affected,” an outfitter told ExplorersWeb.
The situation is easier for climbers who are already out of town and on their way to the mountains. Nepal’s low and mid-mountain areas are green and lush after the last rainy spells of the monsoon.
Camp 1 on Everest and Manaslu
A strong Sherpa team has made remarkable progress on Everest, fixing the icefall and reaching the Western Cwm on Friday.
Manaslu is already bustling with activity, with new groups of climbers flying to Samagaon and trekking to Base Camp. Some are already doing rotations to Camp 1.
There are also climbing teams arriving in Nepal with Dhaulagiri in mind. Among them are David Klein and Marci Nagy of Hungary, who will climb without porters or supplementary oxygen.
Everest runner’s plans
American Tyler Andrews told ExplorersWeb that he plans to run up Mera Peak “several times” to acclimatize, and then climb Everest sometime at the end of September or in early October.
Andrews flew to Khare village, at 4,850m, earlier today. Khare is the usual starting point for Mera Peak (6,476m).
Jannu: Base Camp set up
Benjamine Verdines and Nicolas Jean of France have already settled in Base Camp at the foot of the formidable north face of Jannu. The team acclimatized by trekking from Taplejung and spending two nights at the base of Kangbachen.
“Despite the clouds, we caught a glimpse of the face. It is in decent shape; a bit more snow is needed, but conditions should improve soon,” Vedrines reported.
The weather is still bad, but the climbing team has an entire month to wait for better conditions before launching a summit push in alpine style. They hope to reach the unclimbed East summit of Jannu.
