On the Roof of the World: Climbing Everest and Lhotse
VIEW EVENT DETAILSEvening presentation by Paul Niel
Drinks reception: 6:30 pm
Presentation: 7:00 pm
Close: 8:00 pm
Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's successful first ascent, Mt. Everest and the surrounding Khumbu valley have seen an ever-increasing influx of climbing and trekking tourism, which has affected the local population and the fragile high-altitude ecosystem. In recent years the media have increasingly focused on the annual Everest summit season and its tragedies, culminating in the "Brawl on Everest" last year.
In spring 2013 Paul Niel followed the footsteps of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to climb the highest mountain in the world. After successfully summitting Everest he continued to climb the fourth-highest peak in the world, Lhotse, becoming only the ninth climber ever to do it in 24 hours.
In his lecture Niel will give some background on Mt. Everest, the Himalayas, and his first-hand experiences of the impact of tourism. He will also share the great moments as well as the tragedy that he encountered on his expedition leading up to his double ascent.
Paul Niel is Austrian and resides in Hong Kong. He has traveled the globe for expeditions and other adventures that have taken him to more than 80 countries and to places as disparate as Kamchatka, Papua, the Arctic Circle, and across the Atlantic Ocean in a sailboat. He has also been the first to summit a number of peaks in Antarctica. After graduating from University of Vienna, he has been working and living in the United States, United Kingdom, and Asia. Most recently he has committed to full-time adventures that he uses as an opportunity to promote and raise funds for charities in Nepal and Hong Kong.