Five young mountaineers eye Mt Everest

Sheikh Iraj  

Mountaineering is quite a popular activity for adventure lovers around the world. The activity requires a huge amount of dedication, along with physical and mental strength. Although a few Bangladeshis have already conquered Mount Everest since 2012, mountaineering is still a relatively new concept in this country.
Recently, five women members of Bangla Mountaineering & Trekking Club (BMTC) successfully completed a basic mountaineering training course at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi, India. The five young mountaineers, Reshma Nahar, Bibi Khadiza, Iffat Farhana, Fowzia Ahmed and Shayla Parvin, participated in a 28-day training course.
Nearly two months before the training in India started, they began to prepare themselves. During their training, they learned about artificial rock climbing, free hand long pitch climbing, rock craft, ice craft, fixed rope, wriggling, jumaring, rappelling, ladder crossing, crevasse rescue etc. They also had to carry around 25 kilos of weight while trekking.
The main idea behind the training course was to build confidence among women mountaineers. All of the five young women share a genuine passion for climbing mountains. They  love to explore and admire the beauty of nature.  
While speaking to Y&I on how they became interested in climbing, Iffat Farhana said, “I was always interested in exploring new places. Whenever I went to a new place to visit, I wanted to explore the surroundings a little bit more. I joined BMTC in 2011 because I wanted to satisfy my inner quest for discovering new places”. Fowzia Ahmed, who was a member of the Bangladesh team that summited Mt Kyazo Ri in Nepal, added, “I wanted to do something out of the box. The idea of mountain climbing itself is exciting. Mountain climbing allows me to go to some of the most beautiful places on the face of this earth”.
Mountain climbing is not as simple as it sounds, particularly for women. Many families raise concern about the safety of girls and do not encourage the idea of their daughters getting involved in such a potentially risky sport. Nevertheless, these five young mountaineers not only received moral support from their families, but their friends also encouraged them.
Fitness is one of the most important aspects when it comes to mountaineering. In the 28-day training course, a total of 106 people took part, but 92 of them managed to complete the whole training. Some left because of injuries, but in most cases, they were not physically or mentally strong enough, the Bangladeshi participants said.
“One of the main rules of mountain climbing is that you have to look after your fellow mountaineers. Everyone in my group and the other participants helped me a great deal. After a long day, in the night we were shown a number of documentaries on mountaineering, which helps you to think positively,” said Reshma Nahar, who joined BMTC only six months back.
The five mountaineers come from different backgrounds but together they share one common dream _ that one day, together they will be part of an Everest expedition. Among them Fowzia Ahmed and Shayla Parvin are still students, while the others have finished their graduations.
When asked that Bangladesh has no mountains, so why learn mountaineering? Iffat Farhana, with a smile on her face, replied on behalf of all of them: “We also do not have snow here, does that mean we will never touch snow?”
Talking about how they keep practising in Bangladesh, Shayla Parvin, who was also a member of the Mt Kyazo Ri team, said, “Although Bangladesh has no mountains and the club members have to visit other countries like Nepal and India to gather real mountaineering experience, they always work on their fitness. In order to be fit, they do physical activities like trekking, as well as different muscle development exercises.”
Talking about sponsors, Bibi Khadiza, who became a member of the club a year ago, said, “Normally it’s relatively hard to find sponsors for expeditions. In some cases, the club had to decide who will take part just a week before the trip. But for special expeditions or training courses, like our one, many sponsors show interest.” 

Mahmud Al Amin contributed to this article.

 

 

Five young mountaineers eye Mt Everest

Sheikh Iraj Mountaineering is quite a popular activity for adventure lovers around the world. The activity requires a huge amount of dedication, along with physical and mental strength. Although a few Bangladeshis have already conquered Mount Everest since 2012, mountaineering is still a relatively new concept in this country. Recently, five women members of Bangla Mountaineering Trekking Club (BMTC) successfully completed a basic mountaineering training course at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi, India. The five young mountaineers, Reshma Nahar, Bibi Khadiza, Iffat Farhana, Fowzia Ahmed and Shayla Parvin, participated in a 28-day training course. Nearly two months before the training in India started, they began to prepare themselves. During their training, they learned about artificial rock climbing, free hand long pitch climbing, rock craft, ice craft, fixed rope, wriggling, jumaring, rappelling, ladder crossing, crevasse rescue etc. They also had to carry around 25 kilos of weight while trekking. The main idea behind the training course was to build confidence among women mountaineers. All of the five young women share a genuine passion for climbing mountains. They love to explore and admire the beauty of nature. While speaking to YI on how they became interested in climbing, Iffat Farhana said, I was always interested in exploring new places. Whenever I went to a new place to visit, I wanted to explore the surroundings a little bit more. I joined BMTC in 2011 because I wanted to satisfy my inner quest for discovering new places. Fowzia Ahmed, who was a member of the Bangladesh team that summited Mt Kyazo Ri in Nepal, added, I wanted to do something out of the box. The idea of mountain climbing itself is exciting. Mountain climbing allows me to go to some of the most beautiful places on the face of this earth. Mountain climbing is not as simple as it sounds, particularly for women. Many families raise concern about the safety of girls and do not encourage the idea of their daughters getting involved in such a potentially risky sport. Nevertheless, these five young mountaineers not only received moral support from their families, but their friends also encouraged them. Fitness is one of the most important aspects when it comes to mountaineering. In the 28-day training course, a total of 106 people took part, but 92 of them managed to complete the whole training. Some left because of injuries, but in most cases, they were not physically or mentally strong enough, the Bangladeshi participants said. One of the main rules of mountain climbing is that you have to look after your fellow mountaineers. Everyone in my group and the other participants helped me a great deal. After a long day, in the night we were shown a number of documentaries on mountaineering, which helps you to think positively, said Reshma Nahar, who joined BMTC only six months back. The five mountaineers come from different backgrounds but together they share one common dream _ that one day, together they will be part of an Everest expedition. Among them Fowzia Ahmed and Shayla Parvin are still students, while the others have finished their graduations. When asked that Bangladesh has no mountains, so why learn mountaineering? Iffat Farhana, with a smile on her face, replied on behalf of all of them: We also do not have snow here, does that mean we will never touch snow? Talking about how they keep practising in Bangladesh, Shayla Parvin, who was also a member of the Mt Kyazo Ri team, said, Although Bangladesh has no mountains and the club members have to visit other countries like Nepal and India to gather real mountaineering experience, they always work on their fitness. In order to be fit, they do physical activities like trekking, as well as different muscle development exercises. Talking about sponsors, Bibi Khadiza, who became a member of the club a year ago, said, Normally its relatively hard to find sponsors for expeditions. In some cases, the club had to decide who will take part just a week before the trip. But for special expeditions or training courses, like our one, many sponsors show interest. Mahmud Al Amin contributed to this article.