Myagdi, 01 June: The diamond jubilee (75th anniversary) of the first ascent of Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest peak at 8,091 meters, has been marked with celebrations. On Saturday evening, a trekking team heading to the base camp was welcomed at the entry point of the trail, Narchyang Besi in Annapurna Rural Municipality–4, officially inaugurating the festivities.
The trekking team, which begins its journey today, includes Mathias Herzog (son of Maurice Herzog, the first climber of Annapurna) from France, along with 14 other foreigners, tourism entrepreneurs, and journalists. They were warmly received by representatives from the Ward Office of Annapurna–4, Annapurna Community, Jan Jagaran Youth Club, and the Creative Mothers’ Group.
Accompanying Mathias Herzog, French artists performed a musical tribute in honor of the first ascenders of Annapurna. They are scheduled to hold another musical performance at the Annapurna Base Camp (4,100 meters) on the evening of June 3 (Jestha 19).
Mathias Herzog (son of Maurice Herzog, the first summiteer), his grandson Ethan Herzog, and other international guests—including six from France, three from the UK, five from India, and one from Italy—were invited by the Nepali government to participate in the diamond jubilee celebrations, informed Lok Bahadur Pun, Chairperson of Annapurna Rural Municipality-4.
The trekking team, comprising around 200 participants, will follow the Maurice Herzog Trail from Narchyang Besi via Humkhokhola, Futfute Waterfall, Sandhikhark, Bhushket, and Panchakunda Lake, reaching the base camp on June 3.
To commemorate the day marking the development of Nepal’s tourism sector and the beginning of mountaineering that introduced the Himalayas to the world, the Diamond Festival (Heerak Mahotsav) will be celebrated with various programs until Jestha 22 (early June), informed Bharat Kumar Pun, Chairperson of Annapurna Rural Municipality.
“We are delighted to hold the festival in the relevant geographical area for the first time after 75 years of the ascent,” he said while welcoming the trekking team. “Since the Annapurna ascent by the Herzog team internationalized Nepal’s mountaineering potential, the Diamond Festival is being organized.”
Previously, the Annapurna Ascent Day was celebrated with programs held in Kathmandu and Pokhara. The route and base camp for climbing the 8,091-meter Annapurna mountain lie in the geography of Annapurna-4, Narchyang, Magdi district, which borders the districts of Magdi, Kaski, Manang, and Mustang.
Annapurna is called the “elder mountain” because it was the first peak over 8,000 meters to be summited by humans. On June 3, 1950, the French team led by Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal reached the summit of Annapurna. Three years later, the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, was successfully climbed.
On the occasion of the festival, on Jestha 19 and 20 (early June), all eight wards of Annapurna Rural Municipality will participate in traditional Magar culture-based ancestral dances, processions, and open dance competitions. On Jestha 20, under the chief patronage of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, there will be an unveiling of the climbers’ statues at the base camp, the inauguration of a museum and the Maurice Herzog trail, the main ceremony at Narchyang Bensi, and programs for honors and awards, according to Diva Tilija Pun, Vice-chairperson of Annapurna Rural Municipality.
On Jestha 20, a marathon race from the base camp to Narchyang will take place, with 42 runners from Magdi registered to participate. On Jestha 21, there will be a trek to the tourist destination Ghodepani and Poon Hill. On Jestha 22, in Pokhara, equipment used by the first climber Herzog will be handed over to the International Mountain Museum, operated by the Nepal Mountaineering Association, by Herzog’s family. Also, the book The Annapurna, written by Herzog and translated by the French Embassy, will be launched.
The festival is being organized by Annapurna Rural Municipality, Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Mountaineering Association, and Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), with the Annapurna Rural Municipality Tourism Development Committee as a co-organizer. Under the leadership of Tej Gurung from Narchyang, in 2011 (2068 BS), the facts about Annapurna Mountain and its base camp located in Magdi, as well as the trekking route, were identified. The Annapurna Rural Municipality has named this trail the “Maurice Herzog Trail.”
To promote the trekking route, the municipality organized the Annapurna Tourism Festival in Narchyang in 2020 (2077 BS). Two local governments in Kaski and Magdi districts have been named after Annapurna Mountain. The Annapurna Circuit Trek, which circles Annapurna Mountain, is considered one of the world’s most famous trekking routes.
