Adventure at your doorsteps

Unlike other outdoor adventure sports such as bungee jumping and whitewater rafting, one doesn’t have to wait for the winter to be over for this sport. And what’s even better is that it doesn’t require residents of the Kathmandu Valley to travel outside.

Over the past eight years, the Pasang Lhamu Foundation near the Shankha Park of Kathmandu has been offering wall climbing as a sporting activity for avid trekkers and mountaineers. The sport has also gained much popularity among families and students as a fun recreational outdoor activity.[break]

“The busiest days are Saturdays and that’s when all three staff members are occupied,” said instructor Bhadra Parajuli on Thursday, March 11, while assisting the only climber of the morning, Ryan Wapnowski from Seattle, USA. “However, yesterday we had 70 students from Lincoln School and they spent the entire day here,” he informed and continued, “On average, we get at least ten climbers each day, including members.”

Open seven days a week, several families come here with their children – some as small as five years old – especially during the weekends.

“Kids are great at wall climbing because they have small hands and they don’t weigh too much,” put in Wapnowski, taking a break from climbing. “This wall is better than most gyms in the US, because, first, it’s outdoors; and second, it has many features,” said Wapnowski, who is on a trekking trip to Nepal.

The 10-meter-tall fiberglass wall is made to cater to all levels of climbers, from beginners to experts.

“We have a range of 1 to 10 in terms of difficulty, where 10 is the easiest,” explained Parajuli, who has been working at the Foundation for the past year and a half. A smaller strip of vertical wall adjacent to the main overhanging wall is especially made for beginners and children.

“We have harnesses and shoes available for rent, but people are welcome to bring their own as well,” said Parajuli, who works six days a week. “We don’t have specific health restrictions for climbers, but of course, we don’t allow people who are mentally unfit or drunk to climb,” he shared. Apart from being a fun physical and mental exercise, the sport can be a good team building activity.

The Foundation offers basic and expert wall climbing courses for interested individuals, and has special institutional memberships for local school and colleges.

“We also host an open wall climbing competition each year in July,” informed Parajuli.

For more information and location details, contact the Pasang Lhamu Foundation at 4370742, or visit www.pasanglhamu.com.