The purpose of the Tyrol Declaration is to “help realize the innate potential of mountain sports for recreation and personal growth as well as for promoting social development, cultural understanding and environmental awareness.” (Click here to read the entire Tyrol Declaration). These goals also express the work of The Mountain Fund.

The Mountain Fund Mission

Our mission is to organize grassroots nonprofits and foreign NGOs from a diverse array of disciplines, and to support and coordinate the efforts of these organizations towards eliminating the causes and symptoms of poverty in mountain communities.

The Mountain Fund is the humanitarian voice of the outdoor industry and outdoor enthusiasts. Our programs cover nearly the entire globe, involve dozens of local initiatives, and address the entire spectrum of issues affecting mountainous regions and the people who occupy those regions.

Join Us Today, Be the Mountain!

Consider that you have traveled nearly 10,000 miles, spent 24 hours on planes, 4 days hiking and nearly $5,000.00 to bag your peak. Does it make any sense to under pay your porters, without whom you simply would not be making this climb, by less than a dollar and a cup of rice a day? This exact scenario happens all the time and on my last trip to Nepal I witnessed it firsthand.

I was walking on the Langtang trek above Syabru Bensi. I came across a boy, maybe 16 years old. He was obviously very tired and very thirsty. He did not have a water bottle nor food of any kind.

What caught my eye was the enormous load he was carrying in a very odd sort of backpack. This boy had four metal crates stacked one atop the other, all full, and attached to his body by a strap running over his forehead. He was in obvious pain under such a load.

The boy needed to earn money to continue his education in Kathmandu. He had hired himself on as a porter that morning in Sybru Bensi as part of a crew hauling loads up the valley for two men from the UK who were there to climb a trekking peak. The boy did not know how much he was being paid for this brutal work, but did know it didn't include food. Most importantly he knew that if he didn't take the job there were plenty of men and boys who would.

Surendra and I each took a part of the boys load and headed for Bamboo Lodge, the next village up the trail. At Bamboo I found the guide that employed this boy resting in the shade and enjoying his lunch. I dropped my part of the load at his feet, announcing that he owed me a partial days wage as a porter and asking how much he intended to pay me for taking the load the rest of the way up the trail. The startled guide did understand enough English, not to mention body language, to get the gist of the conversation.

Surendra helped with translation and asked a great many questions of the guide in Nepali. This guide, as it turns out, works for a well-known and supposedly reputable trekking agency in Kathmandu. The agency frequently uses, MF member agency, International Mountain Explorers Connection’s (IMEC) clothing bank and claims to subscribe to the IMEC recommendations for fair porter treatment. The IMEC guidelines are; maximum load of 30 kilos, pay of 300 rupees (a shade over $4.00) per day and food. The boy we had met was carrying around 50, perhaps even 60 kilos, for 250 rupees and no food. He was being shorted by 50 rupees a day and a cup of rice, in addition to carrying a back-breaking amount of weight.

I went next to the trekkers who had hired the guide and asked if they knew that their porters were overloaded and underpaid. In an indifferent tone they told me that they'd look into adding one more porter but wouldn't interfere with wage agreements between the guide and the porters.

Later, I would ask Surendra how this could happen. He told me that it isn't unusual for the guide to skim off the porters pay by 50 rupees. The trekking agent thinks he is paying 300 rupees but if the guide can get a boy to carry the load for only 250 rupees he can pocket the rest and increase his own pay. Likewise he can pocket the food money for the porters.

So, who is to blame for this sort of exploitation? The guide? Sure, he knows better and is deliberately taking advantage of the situation to enrich himself. The trekking agent back in Kathmandu? Also guilty, since the agent should find out what the guide does once he leaves the office. How about the trekkers? I deem them most guilty of all. Why? They have the money, hence they are in control of the entire process. Everyone involved is working for them and they have the power to dictate the terms of that employment.

Proud, Tough and Vulnerable - those are the words on an IMEC porter poster we see just one more days hike up this trail. Yes, porters are all three of those. What they are more than anything is vulnerable though. Nepal is a country where most people live on about $1.00 a day. If a man (or boy) won't carry 100 lbs of gear for $4.00 a day, there is a line of poor men who will. As the people with the power of the gold (money) we have the responsibility to protect our employees (the porters) from exploitation.

When trekking and hiring porters take the time to inquire about your porters’ work. Does the pay include food? How much weight will be carried? Do the porters have appropriate clothing for the job? You traveled a long way to take a once in a lifetime trip, please don't beat the locals out of less than a dollar a day and a cup of rice while there.

Surendra, who began life in the trekking business as a porter is having a hard time lifting this load. I tried it myself and was only able to stand up with a huge effort. This load was in the 100 lb range. The small man in the right of the photo will carry that load all day, everyday, uphill for four days on a hard trail. He will do it in sandals as well, and for around $4.00 a day. He should at least be fed as well, but on this trip sadly he'll have to buy his own food.

Twenty-five people representing 10 Nepali organizations attended. Following a brief presentation by Mountain Fund Executive Director, Scott MacLennan, the group spent time networking and discussing ways that they could cooperate with each other to create more effective work teams.

Several promising partnerships came from the discussions and The Mountain Fund will be working with all of the attendees to bring the ideas developed at the meeting to fruition. Look for updates in future newsletters.

So far Laura’s fundraising efforts have resulted in $2100 being donated to Phurbu’s education. The efforts of one person truly can make a difference— thanks Laura for your incredible fundraising work. Thanks, also, to everyone who has made a donation.

Please donate to Phurbu’s medical school costs via the Mountain Fund's donation page. Please write "Phurbu" in the comments. Thank you.

Lincoln Hall had been given up for dead by his own team and had spent the night at nearly 28,000 feet without shelter. Mazur, his two paying clients, and Sherpa guide gave Hall oxygen, food and water then initiated his rescue.

"How could we leave a person like that?...It's a human life, and we are all just part of the same planet. We have to help each other out," Mazur told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Dan's hometown paper, the Olympian, has a good article. Click here to read more. Incredible photos and more details can be found at Mountain Fund partner, EverestNews.com

Hi, My name is Anisa Chaudhary and I am a member of an online volunteer team for a poor village in Nepal called Gamauli. We members are trying to help the education of children in that area . We have collected some stationary for these kids to be taken to Gamauli but we are unable to find any reduced or free shipping if there is any. Hence we thought of contacting your organization to know if there is any member who might be travelling from USA to Nepal and can help bring the stationary to these children. We will appreciate your help !! Thanks Anisa Chaudhary [Learn more by clicking here.]

Tell us some of your successes and failures?
On the success side, we've kept the doors open to the Karing for Kids clinic, revitalized the work with porters in Nepal and opened two satellite clothing banks to make it more accessible to more porters. We found some good equipment for a group that trains Nepali women to work in the trekking industry... We raised the funds to train 15 traditional birth attendants from three remote villages in how to be midwives and save lives. We've taken volunteer medical people and teachers across the ocean to help out. Mountain Fund has a hugely successful program in Peru loaning small amounts of money to women who have street vending carts so they can buy inventory to sell and have enough in their household budgets to feed the whole family. That's a few things that have gone really well...

How can the average tourist, say, going to climb the Inca Trail or going to Nepal help you?
...being a member [of the Mountain Fund] and donating is top of the list. Reading our newsletters and sharing it with friends comes next. You can do those things anytime and from anywhere. We need volunteers in every country we work in and often need people willing to transport an extra bag of donated gear or equipment too. I have five duffels with me on my upcoming trip to Nepal along with four volunteers. We’ll be taking medical supplies, clothing for porters and gear for Empowering Women of Nepal. We’ll spend time volunteering at a clinic and an orphanage as well. We’ll see some of the countryside in the process, so it isn’t all work, there’s a bit of fun tossed in. People can also help by just paying attention to what they see in these countries, really taking a look at how good we have it and how little it takes to make a huge difference in someone else’s life.

Check out the interview in its entirety on the Bootsn All website by clicking here.

Many people travel to Nepal intending to trek and enjoy the beauty the Himalaya have to offer, along with the warmth and hospitality of the Nepali people. It is the latter that moves many trekkers with time left over to ask how they can lend a hand in Nepal and spend their last week or days giving back to the country that has captured their hearts.

The Mountain Fund Volunteer Information Center is the answer. Once construction is complete the center will showcase the work being done by our partners in Nepal in large format photographs that will adorn every square inch of the walls. Brochures, information and assistance in finding the right volunteer match will be available. High-speed internet and a good cup of coffee will draw in travelers to the volunteer center.

There will be more on the Mountain Fund Volunteer Center in the next issue. If you'd like to help us in this effort please make a donation here.

During April 2005, there were over 20 expeditions in Nepal attempting to conquer the highest climb in the world, Mount Everest. There were many more holiday trekkers attempting the twelve day trek to Base Camp, where all the expeditions camp before making the ascent. Trekking season is an immense boost to the Nepali economy. Some Nepalis make a fortune from holiday trekkers. However, the industry also creates a demand for porters who flock to the trekking routes to compete with each other to earn a wage.

Last year, because of the trouble in Nepal between the government and the Maoists, tourism was down by sixty percent, so competition among porters was high and the price was low. Too many trekking companies don't pay a fair price to the porters and pocket most of the fee for themselves. Everything is transported by foot so what goes up must come down. Unfortunately this is not always the case and Sagarmatha National Park, where Everest lies, is becoming more and more polluted each year.

Initially I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see Everest base camp and meet some of the climbers. It fascinated me that people would risk their lives to reach the summit of the highest mountain in the world. However, the obscenities and exploitations I encountered along the trek painted a different picture to my expectations and by the time I got to Base Camp I was so disgusted by my fellow trekkers and the expeditions that I was even ashamed to be there, just adding to the problem. When I travel I would rather leave just footprints behind.

The trek itself was magnificent with the richest landscape imaginable. EBC is the busiest trek for the obvious reason that trekkers wish to reach the bottom of the top of the world. "Trekking" doesn't define the rural Nepalese mode of transport. The word seems to glorify a long walk which the locals carry out on a daily basis. They salute everyone they pass on the trail with 'Namaste' which is a blessing and are rarely in a rush unless they have 'urgent' supplies for the expeditions.

One of the first questions asked by every tourist on the trek is "How many days did it take you so far?" We were questioned many a time on what took us so long, as we stopped off repeatedly to embrace our surroundings. In the end we spent twenty one days on the trek; to Base Camp and back it usually takes an estimated twelve days. But of course many tourists just want to tip the pole, snap their photo and return to more civilised territory.

The issue of the porters is always cause for debate. On entering Lukla, the starting point of the trek, there is a sign "Hire a porter, hire a friend", and it means it! Porters not only carry your bag, but if you're camping they pitch your tent. If you decide instead to stay in a lodge, usually on the base camp trek, the porter camps outside. Porters are always fed after the tourists and many lodges won't put up porters. On the EBC trek the expedition porters have to pay full price for their dinner, so resort to eating Dal Bhat, the cheapest dish on the menu consisting of a mound of rice, a few vegetables and lentil soup which gets more diluted the higher up the trek you go. When they cannot afford this, they eat packets of dry noodles. They are not paid until the end of the expedition, so may have to get an advance from the guide. Frequently they just break even, living off their own money throughout the trek. Porters cook your meals for you and clean up afterwards. If you have a guide you will order your food through him wherever you go. Your porter, not the lodge staff, will bring your food from the kitchen to you, clear it, and then eat themselves.

Throughout my trip, I witnessed large expeditions addressing each of their numerous porters by "porter" unable to distinguish one porter from another, neglecting to ask their names. Most of the porters make their journeys in flip-flops or canvas shoes. I cannot recollect one porter wearing a pair of boots. Their load is balanced on their spine with a strap over their forehead to hold it up so they are bending forward all the time. They only get to appreciate the scenery when they stop for breath. The rest of the time they are looking at their feet. They even work through the night in unlit terrain, many without torches to fetch supplies for the expeditions and trekkers. Somehow, tourists have an idea that the porters are super-human and this work is built into their culture, ridiculous given that they are smaller in stature than most Western men. You will rarely find a porter over fifty. In fact Nepalese life expectancy is in the early 50s age range. Many porters and Sherpas die every year on expeditions, more than the climbers themselves and this is usually from altitude sickness, as a result of overexertion. Porters on the expeditions go ahead of the climbers and line the trail with rope and set up camp for them. Usually it is only the last stretch where the climbers go solo. Everest in fact is only difficult to climb because of the altitude, there are plenty more technical, beautiful and fulfilling climbs all over the world but the glory of conquering Everest is indeed a unique prize!

The porter situation is gradually improving as awareness is being raised of their exploitation. However, as the number of expeditions increases every year more and more young men leave their wives and families for three months, twice a year, to earn on average 250 Nepali rupees a day (US $2.80) It costs about US $30,000 to climb Everest; an expedition will hire a porter for 3 months. So it costs on average US $252 (independently hired porters can earn at most US $700) plus tip, which the porter will depend on, to pay someone to carry your burden. This meager sum is supposed to last them through the off season. Porters carry anything from 30kgs and commercial porters can carry up to 100kgs. Of course there would be no demand for these commercial items if the tourists didn't crave coffee in the morning and beer in the evening.

This is what's debatable: Are we aiding the economy by hiring a porter even if we do treat him well, or are we creating the problem by providing a market in the first place?

This is not just about the porters; it is also about the exploitation of the mountain itself. Chomolungma, or Mother Earth, as the Tibetans call it is a sacred mountain pilgrims climb in offertory to the mountain, a detail the ambitious mountaineers choose to ignore. It is only possible to remain on the summit for several minutes as the weather is so bad surrounding the peak. There is a constant snow cloud off the summit of Everest which the locals believe is the result of her exploitation by trekkers! It is indeed strange there is not a similar cloud off any of the surrounding mountains.

Read this book by two professional mountain guides and practice the skills described before you run into trouble in the mountains. Andy and Molly clearly describe rescue techniques that can be performed using only the gear that you would already have with you on your climb. Now available in stores and online.

Newly Listed Service Treks:

Tamang Lands - Langtang and Kyanjin Gompa
The Mountain fund is reserving space now for service treks in Nepal for November 2006 and April 2007. For November 2006 we have two service treks, one fourteen day trek to the beautiful Langtang valley and the Tibetan village of Kyanjin Gompa. This trek will also spend one day sightseeing in Kathmandu and two days at the Karing for Kids clinic in Goljung. $700 includes in country lodging, meals, transportation, guides, porters and nearly everything else you'll need. Bring your own hiking boots!

Ghorepani - Poon Hill
Part of the Annapurna Circuit this 14 day trip affords time in the lakeside village of Pokhara and views of the magnificent Annapurna range. We'll spend some time helping Nepali girls to learn English at a home for rescued girls in Pokhara and site-see in Kathmandu as well. As is the case with the Langtang trek, nearly every thing you need is included, just bring your boots. Price $750

Both trips are partially tax deductible and you will receive a tax deductible receipt for approximately 1/3 the cost of the trip. Have a great trek, see Kathmandu, visit Tamang and Tibetan villages, relax by Fewa Lake at Pokhara and help the people of Nepal too. What more could you want. write to mtnfund@mountainfund.org for all the details.

Trekking differs from a "hike" in that trekking is a cultural experience. While on the trail not only are you experiencing fantastic views of awesome scenery, but you are interacting with porters, meeting people from around the world who have come to hike in the mountains, as well as meeting the indigenous people who live there .

In August 2002, famed adventurers, writers and photographers of wild places Galen and Barbara Rowell died tragically in a plane crash near their home in Bishop, California.. The Rowell Legacy Committee was formed to commemorate the lives and preserve the spirit of the Rowells. Its hope is that Galen and Barbara's work and the award will serve to inspire in others the love of the human experience in the environment and the desire to protect the wild and special places on our planet. The Committee is excited to present this unique award to an individual who exemplifies the hallmarks of Galen and Barbara - adventure, art and giving back.

Dear Webby Honoree:

Congratulations on your achievement as an Official Honoree for the 10th Annual Webby Awards. Out of over 5,500 entries submitted to this year’s competition, less than 20% were scored well enough to be recognized as Official Honorees of the 10th Annual Webby Awards. Fantastic work!

The Mountain Fund would like to thank our web guru, Dean, who built the Mountain Fund website. Dean resides in the UK and can be found on the web at Simple Impact.

The First International Biodiversity Congress, organized by Himalyan Resources Institute and the Mountain Fund.

The main objective of the First International Biodiversity Congress is to showcase experiences and to learn from different sustainable approaches of conservation, management and utilization of biological diversity around the world. The major areas of the congress theme include: Political, Judiciary, Environmental, Social, Economic, Cultural, Scientific, Educational and Institutional and other issues of biological diversity at local, regional and global levels.

For more information contact:
RAM BHANDARI, Congress Secretariat, Himalayan Resources Institute, ibc2007@yahoo.com

September 12th-25th, 2006, The Mountain Fund will host a two- week tour of the best sites in and around Cusco, Peru including Machu Picchu followed by a high Andes trek around Ausangate. 20% of the price will be donated to IMEC to revive the Porters Assistance Program for the Inca Trail porters.

See the trip and read all about it here....www.ultimateandes.com