As part of the Nepal government's new tourism campaign, officials commissioned more than 100 huge yeti statues designed by Ang Tsherin Sherpa to be painted by various artists and placed around the world to build excitement about visiting the region. A very fun idea but many people in Nepal don't think the statue looks anything like their beloved beast. From the BBC:

"In folk tales, the yeti has been described as a big monkey-like creature," Ram Kumar Pandey (author of several books about the yeti) tells the BBC. "However, the recent logo depicts it as a sumo wrestler. This does not at all match with the mythical character that has been described in many folk tales..."

"I did not make yeti's sketch by reading any book," (yeti statue designer Ang Tsherin Sherpa) explains. "On the basis of stories that I heard in my childhood, and having Lord Buddha at the back of my mind, I made the design."

There was, however, at least one more practical reason behind his choice: Sherpa says he did not make it furry as depicted in yeti-related literature in order "to make it easier to paint".

Nepal is banning disposable plastic soda bottles and other single-use plastic items in Khumbu, the region where Mount Everest is located. In May, volunteers collected more than six thousand pounds of trash from the mountain. This new ban is meant to reduce the amount of garbage left by tourists and climbers on Everest and in the villages surrounding it. From CNN:

Nepalese authorities said they will ban plastic soft drink bottles and single-use plastics under 30 microns thick (0.0012 inches, or 0.03 millimeter) in the Khumbu region... The ban will prevent hikers from bringing the plastic goods in -- and stop shops from selling them.

The rules won't come into effect until January next year, and won't apply to plastic water bottles, said Ganesh Ghimire, the chief administrative officer of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu rural municipality.

"We are consulting with all sides about what can be done about plastic water bottles," he told CNN Thursday. "We will soon find a solution for that."

image: "The sun rising on Everest in 2011" by Sebastian Werner (CC BY 2.0) Read the rest

Everest isn't the most difficult mountain in the world to climb, but it is one of the most expensive. The individual cost of getting one's athletic ass to the top of the mountain range is between $40,000-$130,000. Most of this cheddar gets thrown at logistics. It takes a lot of money for a mountain outfitter to set up multiple camps at varying altitudes along the route to the top of the world. It takes considerably less money to hire the ludicrously underpaid Sherpa guides to set it all up and, if things go well, get their clients up the side of Everest and back down to base camp again in one piece. This in-depth video explains it all. Read the rest

Nothing like a relaxing bike ride where the slightest mistake will send you careening down jagged rocks and into a lake far below. The only thing less relaxing would be focusing on filming the whole thing while riding. Read the rest

"One month a year, giant Himalayan bees, the biggest bees in the world, come to collect nectar from a poisonous flower, giving the honey they make certain medicinal, aphrodisiac, and hallucinogenic properties."

In this short documentary, filmmaker Raphael Treza meets with a Nepalese tribe to learn about this honey, and how they use it. During the making of the film, the translator eats too much of the honey and falls unconscious. Read the rest

By kicking himself 134 times in the head in 60 seconds, Nepalese teen Puskar Nepal has booted the previous champion from the record books.

Puskar Nepal says he hopes to bring attention to the poor of Sindhupalchowk district.

"Practicing for the act was tough. Before my record attempt, I practiced very hard for eight, nine months so that my body stayed flexible because the act needs to have me bend over for a minute," he told Metro. Read the rest

This Tibetan-style temple was constructed from people. The work, by Trina Merry, was mean to raise awareness of Beyond the Four Walls, a social business venture to support women in Nepal. Behind-the-scenes video below. More details at Laughing Squid. Read the rest

Here's a stunning series of images by photographer Andrew Newey of Nepalese honey hunters. Newey spent two weeks among the Gurung ethnic group in central Nepal, documenting their traditional beekeeping practices. Read the rest

A tour operator in Nepal runs what they claim is the world's fastest zip-line, a 1.8km run that drops 600m and attains speeds of 160km/h. Watching the helmetcam sections of this video actually made the blood drain from my face.

What is Zip-flyer?

Basically, zipline is a cable mechanism used for transportation across a river, gorge etc. In our context, it is a piece of recreation equipment consisting of a cable stretched between point of different elevations, a pulley, and a harness or a bar for attaching a rider, who moves by gravity. Zip-flyer Nepal also works with the same mechanism and is categorized as an adventure sports.

How long is it and what would be its max speed?

Well, its 1.8 km long and has the speed of 160kmph making it the world’s most extreme ride.

Welcome to High Ground Adventures

(via Neatorama) Read the rest