Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

GANGTOK , June 11: The Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling , today met the members of the successful Everest expedition from Sikkim . The team of 11 mountaineers who recently scaled Mount Everest met the CM today at his official residence in Mintokgang . Mr. Chamling congratulated the whole team and expressed his profound happiness over the successful expedition.  After a 43-year gap , seven mountaineers from the Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute (SGMI) in Sikkim accomplished the glorious feat at 7.26 a.m. IST on May 22 this year. Among them, Phul Maya Tamang and Yangdi Sherpa were women climbers. Nima Wangchuk Sherpa (60) from the same team was the oldest Indian Mt. Everest climber. http://www.sikkimexpress.com/news-6.htm

1. DANNY DEZONGPA 2. BHAICHUNG BHUTIA 3. TARUNDEEP RAI 4. JAS LAL PRADHAN 5. SONAM GYATSO 6.UTTAM PRADHAN

PEMA LEYDA SHANGDERPA Gangtok, Nov. 12 : Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute here will lead its first independent expedition to Mount Everest in spring 2008 . While members and instructors of the institute have scaled the peak with other teams, this is the first time the 43-year-old school is organising an independent expedition to tame the 8848m (29,028ft) peak. The second round of selection began today at the institute here in Baluakhani. The team will be sent on Thursday for the final selection to be held under Alpine conditions in North Sikkim. The expedition that will be flagged off sometime in April-May next year will include 15 members and five additional climbing support staff. The team will be led by G.T. Bhutia, the principal of the institute. “Members of the institute have scaled so many summits and broken so many records. So we thought why not an independent expedition,”  Bhutia told The Telegraph. The team is expected to scale the peak from the North Col ridge, which...