Bahrain Prince, soldiers first to climb Himalayan Summit amid COVID-19 restrictions

A group of climbers including a Bahrain prince has reportedly completed the first summit of a Nepal Himalayan peak amid a ban on tourists due to coronavirus pandemic. According to a climbing company ‘Seven Summit Treks’, the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) was in dialogue with Nepal to discuss guiding a team of Royal Guard soldiers to the summit of the highest mountain in the world.

The team, which includes members of Bahrain Royal Guard, has reportedly climbed the  6,119-metre Lobuche East, one of the two additional climbs to prepare themselves for the Mount Everest expedition. The team arrived in mid-September and was quarantined in Kathmandu for a week, under the COVID-19 prevention guidelines. The identity of the royal climber has not been disclosed yet.

According to Seven Summit Treks, the initial climb will give the team the climbing skills required to progress on to the higher peaks in Nepal. The team will now prepare to climb Mount Manaslu which stands at 8,156 metres above sea level. They will develop further skills by climbing above 8,000 metres, commonly known as the “death zone” which requires the use of a supplemental oxygen system.

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Mount Everest attempt next year

After the successful climbing of the first two mountains, the team will then make its bid to climb Mount Everest in April / May 2021. The trekking company had said in a statement that the team was put through a rigorous assessment of physical fitness as well as mental robustness. The assessment was reportedly designed to ensure that each team member is capable of withstanding the extreme conditions that they will be exposed to in the Himalayas.

“It is an immense pleasure to learn that...the Royal Guard team is donating edibles to the Sherpas through Seven Summit Treks. I believe this humane gesture of friendship and kindness bestowed upon the needy ones during such difficult and unprecedented time will be long cherished by the recipients,” the Nepalese Embassy had said in a statement. 

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