Namaste, my name is Ang Tshering Lama. I come from the Solu Khumbu region in the north east of Nepal, from a small village called Phaplu. As many of you may know this is also sometimes referred to as the Everest region for being home to Mount Everest.
Until the 1950s, just a few years, before Sir. Ed’s and Tenzing Norgay’s historic achievement this region was completely shut away from the rest of the world. People were still living in their almost primitive conditions with no access to health care, education, electricity, and so on. Many visiting mountaineers passed through the region to claim something for themselves, some returned once or twice to claim new records but one man kept coming back again and again not to set any records but because of his friendship, compassion and love for the people he met there. This was Sir Edmund Hillary.
Sir Ed. worked tirelessly throughout his life to build schools, hospitals, clinics, airfields and preserve remote monasteries and the Sherpa lifestyle in the region. He repeatedly stated that most worthwhile of his achievements have been the tasks he was able to carry out for his friends, the people of the Himalayas.
I was born in the first hospital of Phaplu built by Sir Ed himself. From my first vaccines, to my first injuries being treated all of this happened within the walls of the hospital, his legacy has been there to always protect me, provide me with education and opportunities for life- in other words he has been my guardian angel from Day 1. And like me he has been the same for thousand other children growing up in the Solu Khumbu region.
So the Phaplu Mountain Bike Club has a direct relationship with Sir Ed.’s visionary efforts and projects he started in the region. The aim of Phaplu Mountain Bike Club is to introduce the young children of Phaplu into the sports of Mountain biking. As the mountain biking culture and tourism grows in the region this would provide them with great opportunities in the future on both personal and professional scale.
The training at the Pump Track and on the trails will provide them with the necessary skills to compete professionally in the future, work as mountain biking guides or mechanics or even run their own mountain biking tour companies. But above all it is to foster a sense of community amongst the kids, girls and boys, to provide them with useful life skills all while having a fun activity to grow up with.
The Pump Track built in the very center of Phaplu will also be a safe place for the children where they can play and engage with one other. Now you may be wondering how the pump track would help a kid stay in school? And this is the very same question I asked myself before coming up with this idea- it was how can we lower the drop out rate from the schools amongst young teenagers?
Though tourism has brought many positive changes, it has always lured young people with instant income working the very risky job as porters in the high Himalayas. And now with more and more ubran development happening there are new luring factors such as working in construction, driving tractors and Tuk Tuks that are attracting the kids away from school in return for quick money.
Therefore our aim with the Pump Track is to function as an extra curricular activity for the children after school or during school hours as sports period running not just mountain bike training but other creative programs such as art and music workshops, theatre, community engagement initiatives and providing other important life skills for them to grow up with.
- Please find below some objectives for the Pump Track:
- To develop the sport of mountain biking and safe place to practice skills for young kids before taking on the natural trails.
- To empower and encourage young girls to be an active member of the society from an early age. And to facilitate the incorporation of girls in various activities.
- Social place for gathering, to develop a community, brings kids together
- To make the pump track a destination for other young Nepalis from different regions of Nepal to visit, participate and interact with the local kids of Phaplu
- To provide the younger generation with the necessary vocational skills outside of their academics
- To build a collaboration and possible exchange program between International Bike Clubs and Phaplu Mountain Bike Club
- To give the young kids of Phaplu have something fun to grow up with
We greatly appreciate your interest to help the children of Phaplu. Please feel free to reach me if I can provide any further information concerning this proposal.
Thank you,
Ang Tshering Lama
Beyul Experiences
www.beyulexperiences.com
“Phaplu has the potential to become one of the most famous spot for mountain biking. And developing young local talent will definitely give a wide range of opportunity to them in the mountain biking world. From competing internationally, to working as a guide, bike mechanic or just for their personal growth. “
Tangi Rebour, owner of Enduro MTB Nepal and brand ambassador for several top mountain biking brands
“I traveled all around the world and for me Nepal is one of my favorite place to ride a bike and the sport will definitely develop a lot in this beautiful place of the world.”
Max Commencal, owner of Commencal Bicycle
“I think the best trails I’ve ever ridden in my life.”
Nicolas Vouilloz, former 10 time Down Hill world champion
