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Let's Clean Up Nepal
Raj Shrestha is a man on a passionate mission to clean up Nepal. In a short time, he has begun to transform the trekking routes in the Himalaya and the famous places in Kathmandu. He does it on his own power and enlists like minded activists and experts to help. Amazingly, that is not his only project! We asked him to tell us about his remarkable accomplishments that started in 2017. We are so impressed and want to share his plan with everyone.
How to Properly Fit a Backpack
Have you ever gone through the totally miserable experience of hiking or climbing with a poorly fitting, overloaded or falling apart pack? Guilty of all the above. What misery, and usually it seems to be raining whenever this happens, just to add to the mix. Well we have come across the solution to your problems, except the rain part.
Musa Masala at Everest Base Camp: The Everest ER Interview
Once again the Musa team visited Everest ER, the medical tent run by the Himalayan Rescue Association to treat climbers, porters, guides and staff at Mt. Everest Base Camp.
The following video features an interview that Lakpa Sherpa and Dr. Jennifer Konopka did with Dr. Suvash Dawadi and Dr. Subarna Adhikari while they worked at the clinic during the 2018 climbing season. A great footnote is that this was the first year two Nepali doctors worked together at Base Camp. They were joined by Dr. Brenton Systermans from Australia.
Ama Dablam, Olga and Cyclone Fani!
Of all the exploits and climbing efforts in the spring 2019 season, we at Musa Masala feel pretty strongly that one of the most outstanding accomplishments belongs to our friend and fellow Musa, Dr. Olga Dobranowski. Olga just completed a solo, rapid ascent of beautiful and mesmerizing Mt. Ama Dablam. If you have been anywhere around this mountain, it will become your favorite. It holds you and you will never forget seeing it.
Lakpa Norbu Sherpa: The Unofficial Mayor of Everest Base Camp
We are proud to bring you a true force in the world of Himalayan climbing. Lakpa Norbu Sherpa is one of the leading experts in Nepal in the art of long line rescue. This entails hanging from a cable below a helicopter that flies thousands of feet above sea level, often near the ceiling of its capabilities. You are then lowered to a climber on rocks or glacier, often in temperatures far below freezing. After attaching the injured or sick climber to a harness, the two of you are then lifted into the air, dangling below the helicopter until you reach your destination. This is not the activity of your average human.
Everest Base Camp Manager Georgina Davenport and Her Journey in Medicine and Mountains
We are always excited to get the chance to shine a light on medical providers doing challenging things outdoors. This week we are virtually heading to Spain to talk to Georgina Davenport, a paramedic currently working in EMS and as the office manager for The Benegas Brothers Expeditions, with twin brothers and super climbers Willie and Damien Benegas.
Mount Everest World Record Holder Lhakpa Sherpa: An Interview
Alan Blassberg, director of the documentary "Goddess of the Sky" talks to us about his challenges in making a movie with Lhakpa Sherpa about her life and climbing. After his interview, read on for a Q&A with Lhakpa herself.Having just returned from her successful 9th ascent of Mt. Everest, Lhakpa discusses with us a new desire to be known in Nepal, where she was born. Big things are on the horizon as she looks to change from the Tibetian side and climb on the south side in Nepal next year.
Rock Climbing Safety: 5 Proven Ways to Prevent Accidents
Welcome back to Musa Masala's Good Trekker, Safe Climber series! As we are concerned with all aspects of mountain safety, we are introducing our first post on safe climbing. Here to help show you the ropes is Michael Wu. Mike is an emergency room physician in San Diego, California, an avid climber and a fan of the sport. He enjoys all aspects of climbing, from bouldering to trad wall climbing. Mike volunteered at the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) clinic in Manang, Nepal, in 2014. He worked there with Tatiana, aka Dr. Yak. They recently took a climbing trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California.
A Teen Climber's Take on Mountaineering and Empowering Girls
We are happy to share an extraordinary story with you about an extraordinary young person. Jaahnavi Sriperambuduru is tackling a lot for someone who is only sixteen years old. Starting from a very young age, her father has been taking her to the mountains and now she is looking to continue her #Mission7Summit this spring with an ascent of Mt. Everest. Jaahnavi already has on her resume ascents of Mt. Denali, Mt. Kosciusko, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus, Island Peak, Stok Kangri and Ayala Peak.
Traveling Solo: Lessons Learned From Loose Rocks in the Himalayas
We at Musa Masala are proud to enter for the second year the Beauty of a Woman BlogFest. Last year we had Lakpa Sherpa and her story of the creation of the Chyangba Girls Hostel, which allowed girls who lived far from the Chyangba School to have a safe place to stay so they could get an education. This year we have a friend of Musa, Tamar, with her story of taking her own fears and roadblocks and walking all over them as she treks to Everest Base Camp.
Trekking in the Rolwaling Valley, Nepal
Last spring I explored another beautiful part of Nepal, Rolwaling Valley. My one-week trek was stunning, culturally rich and surprisingly tranquil. Here is the lowdown.
Rolwaling is a valley that lies just west of the Khumbu (Everest) region. I took a 14-hour bus ride into the bustling Singati (950m), where I met my guide, Gomba. (We were delayed due to road construction and a bus breakdown; otherwise it should probably take around 10 hours.)
Children Trekking: A Record-Setting Trek to Everest Base Camp
On October 18th, 2017, the JGI group of schools, with JanJay Adventures, reached Everest Base Camp with the largest contingent of students from India to date. The ages of the students ranged from seven to 16 years old. It was an enormous undertaking for the students, the parents, the teachers and the guides from Peak Promotion Nepal who made it happen. Ang Diku Sherpa was one of the guides and her story of working with the group is inspiring. She made sure each student had their Musa Masala altitude tips card to help them learn about safe mountain travel and the danger of altitude illness in the Himalayas
Trekking in Nepal: A Gentleman's Guide on What to Bring
The Good Trekker welcomes one of the great trekkers, Brendan Barrett, to Musa Masala. Brendan was on the WMS fundraising trek via Pikey Peak to the site of the Wongchu Sherpa Memorial Hospital in November, 2016. For an example of Brendan's fearless trekking style, he introduced himself as a medical malpractice lawyer to his fellow Trekkers, most of whom were doctors! He made few friends but quite an impression. We have been waiting eagerly for this post and we hope you like it. It's full of important information, priceless hygenine tips and his own unique view of the world. Sit back and have a good read before packing those bags.
Gosaikunda Lake Trek: A Short and Sweet Getaway
One of our hopes at Musa Masala is to help introduce people to the fun of trekking in Nepal. not only is this a beautiful country with many different environments to travel through, but culturally, Nepal is a wonder for exposing trekkers to the many different religions, tribes and cultural groups throughout the country. Lakpa Sherpa, along with Musa writer Ang Diku Sherpa and our friends Nwang Phuri Sherpa and Binu Rumdali Rai, took a quick break from their busy lives in Kathmandu to enjoy the trek around Gosaikunda Lake in Langtang National Park. Here is Lakpa's post on their short and sweet trek.
Top Reasons to Consider the Pikey Peak Trek
Ang Dawa Sherpa returns with another great post, this time on the lesser traveled Pikey Peak Trek. For those looking for a different view of Nepal, We highly recommend this outstanding visit to the Solukhumbu. Thanks, Ang Dawa, for guiding us to an another amazing part of Nepal. Dhanyabad.
Tourism in Nepal is famous for climbing, but trekking especially draws large crowds every year. The Everest, Annapurna and Langtang regions are the most popular, but there are many other treks that are opening up that are less crowded and just as spectacular.
Myths About Altitude Illness Debunked
Welcome to part two of our altitude tips post for our Good Trekker series! This time Dr. Yak tramples over some of the most common myths of traveling to high altitude.
If you are trekking in Nepal this spring, make sure to stop by for the daily altitude lecture given at the HRA clinics in Manang and Pheriche. Cards are also available at Everest ER at base camp. You may not only learn something, but you may be able to help others from getting sick.
Altitude Illness: Tips to Stay Healthy
Welcome back to the Good Trekker Series. We're pleased to introduce our newest expert, Dr Yak! No one knows about living at high altitude like a yak and this yak has all the answers. We are also introducing our new Altitude Tip cards. A version of the card will be distributed to all three clinics this spring run by the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) in the villages of Manang in the Annapurna region and Pheriche on the Everest trek. They will also be available at Everest ER at Mt Everest base camp. Make sure you visit these hard working doctors at the clinics and ask for your Musa Masala Attitude Tips card!
Chyangba Village Trek: WMS Goes to the Hospital
This past November, members of the Wilderness Medical Society, led by Dr. Eric Johnson and Dr. Luanne Freer, trekked to the site of the Wongchu Sherpa Memorial Hospital, which will be built in Khamding, Solu Khumbu, Nepal.
Ten Considerate and Thoughtful Tips For Trekking In Nepal
Welcome to the second post in the Good Trekker series! We are using the words considerate and thoughtful because we believe these are key approaches to make your trek more, fun, safe and memorable. Thinking about and being considerate of your surroundings and the people you interact with is essential for a successful experience.
Trail Racing through the Himalayas
In Sanskrit, Manaslu means, mountain of the spirit. In this place, where heaven and skies meet, The Manaslu Mountain Trail Race, a seven day race covering 212 km around the 8,160 m mountain, it might not have felt like heaven for all the participants. But what a feeling, to take part in such an event in the lap of the Himalayas.