Everest Trash as Art

by Erik Olsen on

A buddy of mine who has climbed Everest a few times started a program years ago to bring trash down from the top of Everest. The South Col and other camps at the top of the highest mountain in the world had become virtual trash heaps, places where climbers for decades had left behind the solid detritus of their expeditions. My buddy said that at one point, when you reached the South Col, there were so many discarded oxygen bottles that you had to step around them to get where you were going…namely, the top. And so the program he helped form used Sherpas and funding by climbers to start hauling that stuff down. Little did they know that the trash they carried might someday be considered works of art.

Enter Jeff Clapp, who says he became drawn by the trash climbers leave behind. Clapp says he was inspired by a documentary about Everest’s trash heap (a documentary in which my friend starred), and so he traveled to Nepal and brought a load of discarded oxygen bottles back to turn them into art. He turns them into bowls and bells, after buffing them down to a shiny silver sheen. Prices range from $1,600 to $3,000 for bells, and $500 to $1,500 for the bowls. Come on, isn’t this great? You have to admire guys like this that see opportunity where others see garbage.

Endangered World Heritage Sites

by Neil Woodburn on

World Heritage Sites are, by definition, fantastic places to visit. But is this true of all of them?

Sure, the honored temples, pagodas, natural landscapes, and medieval towns all have something special to offer; otherwise they wouldn’t be on the list. But what about the negative aspects, the things never mentioned by UNESCO?

The fine folks at National Geographic Traveler have come up with their own rating system to honor the very best and very worst World Heritage Sites on this planet based upon “sustainable tourism.”

National Geographic actively hosts the Center for Sustainable Destinations which researches the impact of tourism upon popular tourist sites. For example, toward the bottom of the most recent scorecard of 94 World Heritage Sites researched by the group is the Potala Palace in Tibet. The Palace scored only 46 out of 100 possible points due to the impact of mass tourism, Chinese attempts to diffuse the Tibetan culture, and “souvenir shops replacing the religious articles market.” Dead last is Kathmandu Valley in Nepal where political strife, concrete buildings, and pollution is quickly destroying the ancient heritage of this fantastic area.

It is truly sad reading through the bottom of the list and the litany of problems facing so many of the world’s great destinations. The temples of Angkor, Cambodia, for example, are threatened by a rash of new tourist hotels which consume so much water that the water table has lowered and is weakening the foundations of the temple.

The good news is that a number of destinations are weathering the tourist onslaught with strength and vigor. Number one on the list with 87 points is the west fjords of Norway, followed up by Spain’s Alhambra. Both treasures are well protected and well managed by the local communities in which they lie. They currently face little threat and healthy longevity–at least for the time being.

Be sure to pop on over to National Geographic Traveler and check out the list. This is one of the better World Heritage Site summations I’ve seen in a long time, and one which will motivate, inspire, and sadly, even depress.

If you can get a hold of the print edition (November/December 2006) take a moment to mull over the depressing cover photo of tourists in loud clothing and sun hats scaling the ancient stairs of Angkor. One glance and you’ll understand why it has fared so poorly in the National Geographic Traveler report.

Nat Geo on Sherpas

by Erik Olsen on

On a few occasions in the past we’ve linked to stories about the famous Sherpas of the Himalayas, those hearty, hale and, well, helpful souls who basically make it possible for Western climbers to summit tall mountains. Without the Sherpas, it’s doubtful that we’d see nearly as many Gortex-clad city slickers summiting mountains like K2 and Everest.

The Sherpas are, without a doubt, the unsung heroes of mountaineering.

And if anyone out there can be trusted to put together a fine homage to the Himalayan Sherpas, it would be National Geographic. And so it goes. This wonderfully done multimedia feature provides text by the writer T.R. Reid as well as gobs of excellent photos, maps and even some downloadable audio for your listening pleasure. The photos are particularly good, but trust me, if you are interested in what the Sherpas are all about you can spend a few educational and entertaining minutes perusing this feature.

Free Trip to Everest Base Camp

by Neil Woodburn on

You better move quickly.

Somewhere out there is a ticket for a free trip to the Everest Base Camp in the Nepalese Himalayas.

All you have to do is buy a copy of September’s Outside Magazine and take a peek inside. One lucky edition has a special Willy Wonka-type ticket with a unique number printed on it. If that number matches up with the one here, you win the 19-day excursion compliments of Outside Magazine and partner REI who will be organizing the trip.

You need to act now, however, as the magazine has already been on the newsstands for almost two weeks and Charlie Bucket is saving up his pennies to buy one tomorrow.

High Tech Himlayas

by Erik Olsen on

If you don’t know the name Xeni Jardin, then you probably don’t spend much time reading blogs…not the best ones anyway. She’s been all over the place in the last few years, penning pieces for Wired, Boing Boing, etc. She’s also got a few gigs on NPR and this one on traveling to the Himalayas is definitely worth a listen.

Entitled Hacking the Himalayas, she takes us on a tour of this high-elevation nation and talks about how technology is changing the culture and way of life there. Filled with history and color and vibrant sound, it is superb, as fine an example of multi-media journalism as I’ve seen in a while (there are lovely photos and print versions as well). I would love to see more pieces like this, stories about the transformative powers of technology around the world in far-off places.