A plate of momo filled with spiced meat served with an achar or jhol is often the go-to order after flipping through the multi page menus at Kathmandu’s eateries.&nbsp; In many ways Momo is the perfect meal: ubiquitous, affordable, quick, filling, fresh, and healthier than other fast food. &nbsp; Making the dumplings from scratch is fun, too. Momo parties require much labour but they bring families and friends together as each member takes responsibility for one of the steps: prepping the filling, rolling out the dough, cutting out circles, or blending the all-important sauce.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250516090524_8820f29eec104a6921e1273bf518f0656af604568bc68093e36f43fe8ecc51fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20250516090524_8820f29eec104a6921e1273bf518f0656af604568bc68093e36f43fe8ecc51fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1001" loading="lazy" alt="Momo Loco NT"> <figcaption>Photos: SUMAN NEPALI</figcaption> </figure>  This is where mastery of the vital skill of momo-folding can set you apart. And momo parties abroad can bring together long lost friends amid much nostalgia. Prashanta Khanal has two entries for momos in Timmur, his cookbook of dishes from across Nepal. One is momo-cha (‘dumplings with a buffalo meat filling and served with soupy jhol achaar made from sesame seeds and soybeans’). The other is the longer momo, often called Tibetan style. &nbsp; “The momo seems to have come to Kathmandu around the 17th century, when the long standing India-Nepal-Tibet trade route got more organised,” says Khanal. “At first, only trader families in the Valley made momo. They became wildly popular only about four decades ago, after they started being sold commercially.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250516090524_92d5ab4d34dccdbe592895fede973981f9021f864865d5be7f50c6a30e7d07d1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250516090524_92d5ab4d34dccdbe592895fede973981f9021f864865d5be7f50c6a30e7d07d1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Momo Loco NT"> </figure>  Khanal reckons that momo was initially just a food of the valley, and he credits refugees from Tibet starting in the 1950s for spreading the food beyond the valley.&nbsp; Legend has it that dumplings were invented in northwestern China about 1,800 years ago by Zhang Zhongjing, a prominent physician in the eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD). The legend goes that Zhongjing created ear-shaped dumplings to cure frostbitten ears, when he wrapped minced lamb, black pepper, and herbs in dough scraps. Eating these ‘Jiaozi’ would cure the patient by improving blood circulation.&nbsp; The food then spread through the region, through present-day China, Mongolia, and Tibet, and were actually already called momo. Each place developed its own variation. “The Mongolian momo has mutton or lamb, uses minimal spices, and is served not with sauce but with butter tea” explains Khanal, “and the Tibetan momo contains sheep, yak or mountain goat.”&nbsp; The Chinese retained a distinctive style of dumplings called dim sum. And when Newari traders brought the momo to Kathmandu, it was customised for local taste and ingredients. The strongly spiced buffalo meat is unique to the Valley. “Sherpa momos are usually spiced lightly, usually just with ginger, garlic and onion,” adds Khanal.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250516090524_7e9d7e122c2bd64b248714e09aea84f9713eda930b563a3805aa642b79eb1918.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250516090524_7e9d7e122c2bd64b248714e09aea84f9713eda930b563a3805aa642b79eb1918" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Momo Loco NT"> </figure>  Khanal has several recommendations for momos in Kathmandu: “Jazz Upstairs in Lazimpat has very juicy momos, and there is a store called Moti Didi Ko Momo in Thamel that is spiced mildly and comes with a cooked tomato achaar.”&nbsp; Some of the more unique vegetarian fillings can be found in the khuwa momos in Baneswor, the spinach-cheese momos at Shambala Cafe in Boudha, and sun-dried turnip-green momos in Mustang. Here are some other momo spots inside Ring Road that scored highest in a Nepali Times online survey: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <h2>Cafe ‘97 (Sanepa)</h2> This is an understated eatery with pictures of the Annapurna range and faded lanterns as decor. A plate of steamed buff momo is Rs160 and takes about 15 minutes from freezer to steamer in the open kitchen, and to the table. Ten momo come arranged around a small bowl of a spicy thin achar that does not stick to the momo but tastes good. 7.2/10.&nbsp; <h2>Akabare Jhol Momo (Dhobighat) &nbsp;</h2> Akabare Jhol Momo is a franchise with branches in Dhobighat, Baneswor, Putali Sadak and more. The name references the famous Mughal and the Nepali idiom about not needing to peddle a quality product with super potent chillies. Despite ‘Jhol Momo’ in the name, the Dhobighat branch also has choila, bara, biryani in the menu. A plate of chicken jhol momo is Rs170 and you are even offered a choice of warm or cold jhol, plus tomato achar and a dry chili condiment. The momo is very good and the jhol tasting of toasted sesame seeds could even stand alone as a soup. 8.6/10.&nbsp; <h2>Drop In (Bhanimandal)&nbsp;</h2>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250516090516_c95bd4d0236e31b23f4254703d55059fe60a67b5f8dcc9d573b36249bfdab270.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250516090516_c95bd4d0236e31b23f4254703d55059fe60a67b5f8dcc9d573b36249bfdab270" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Momo Loco NT"> <figcaption>Photos: VISHAD RAJ ONTA</figcaption> </figure>  Drop In is a hallowed momo spot up a flight of stairs that lead to two small rooms near the Bhanimandal basketball court. A plate of pork momo costs Rs200 and comes with 12 dumplings, not ten. The elongated momo are accompanied by a generous bowl of orange achar in which you can mix in toasted dry chili pickle or green chili vinegar. While they could be more generous with the filling, the dough is thin and the momo are light and feel authentic Tibetan. 9.4/10. &nbsp; <h2>Narayan Dai ko Masangalli Ko Momo (Patan Darbar Square)&nbsp;</h2> Narayan Dai ko Masangalli Ko Momo is another popular momo-cha chain. This branch is tucked into the entrance into Patan Darbar Square from Mangal Bazaar. Seating is at low tables on tree stump stools, and a plate of buff momo is Rs180. Perhaps this was an off day, but the jhol left stuff to be desired and filling carried too much whiff of buff. Don’t know who Narayan Dai was, but he would probably have set things right. 5.1/10.&nbsp; <h2>Nice Momo (Pulchok)&nbsp;</h2>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250516090516_88f6e60282d8be90fb16b0643cfe1f9d455de65ac2e2439f54bcc51a2bb40a54.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250516090516_88f6e60282d8be90fb16b0643cfe1f9d455de65ac2e2439f54bcc51a2bb40a54" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1201" loading="lazy" alt="Momo Loco NT"> </figure>  This den behind Labim Mall has a rather shady ambience but there is outside seating too. A plate of chicken momo is Rs180, served up quick, and they are very light and almost sweet. There are two sauces, a red tomato achar and a darker red hot sauce. 7.6/10.&nbsp; <h2>House of Momo (Tripureswor)&nbsp;</h2> The House of Momo is a stall on the ground floor of the United World Trade Center Mall. The solo lady running the stall instantly serves up a plate of chicken momo for Rs150 in a leaf bowl. There are two strong achar, mild and hot. While the filling is bland and the momo falls apart on the fork, the sauces and the convenience sort of make up for it. 7.1/10 <h2>Tas and Sekuwa Mahal (Teku)&nbsp;</h2>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250516090520_fadd2362d613bc1449c92998fe51b1d5ab667af2f4a17fccdeea274c7355180f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20250516090520_fadd2362d613bc1449c92998fe51b1d5ab667af2f4a17fccdeea274c7355180f" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Momo Loco NT"> </figure>  It may not be the best idea to order momo at a place called Tas and Sekuwa Mahal, but it has a mutton momo on the menu at Rs280. Many plates of tas leave the kitchen before the momo are ready, which come with a peanut and a tomato achar. The mutton filling is chewy and dense, but with the spices it is pretty hard to tell apart from buff except for a slight aftertaste. 6.1/10.&nbsp; <h2>Bakery Cafe (Baneswor) &nbsp;</h2> The Bakery Cafe is a classic momo spot with a mascot of a man with a giant momo head, and staff wearing ‘I &lt;3 MOMOS’ t-shirts. This Baneswar branch has a huge interior with many unfilled seats, eerie compared to the bustling rallies and bus stop right outside. Get your momo any way you like: veg, buff, chicken, pork, mutton. Eight, ten or twelve-piece, steamed, Tibetan, T.S. Fried, C, jhol.&nbsp; The quality of the momo is undeniable. The filling has a perfect flavour and the two sauces complement each other and stick to the dumpling, which also holds up when you take a bite. But Rs350+ for an eight-piece chicken plate is above market rates. 8.7/10 <h2>Swadista Momo (Patan Dhoka)&nbsp;</h2>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250516090516_8f8ab76fb12fcae799be632ab1a98d6ca2f058cbd060756e3e84c4d0191998ee.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250516090516_8f8ab76fb12fcae799be632ab1a98d6ca2f058cbd060756e3e84c4d0191998ee" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1063" loading="lazy" alt="Momo Loco"> </figure>  Located just past Patan Dhoka, a plate of buff is only Rs140 at Swadista and almost always instant, and a plate of chicken is on the cheaper side at Rs150 and takes about five more minutes to arrive. The best part is the three excellent jhol choices: the standard beige soybean-sesame, an orange tomato and a fiery red chili. The trick is to create a small opening in the momo skin and let the soup seep through. 8.7/10.&nbsp; <h2>Shandar Momo (Old Baneswor)&nbsp;</h2> Shandar Momo was recently in the news for tragic reasons. Its Baneswor branch looks small from the outside but opens into a large area, busy with both dine-in eaters and many takeouts being prepared. A plate of buff is only Rs145, and comes in a sectioned plate where you can separate different sauces. The place lives up to its ‘Shandar’ name, with a wonderfully spiced momo and toasty jhol with a distinct pleasant cardamom flavour that can be addictive. 7.9/10 <h2>Ghangri Cafe (Jhamsikhel)</h2> Ghangri Cafe’s signature open top momo is served with a trio of tomato, peanut and vinegar achar. The open top lets you experiment with different combinations of condiments poured straight into the filling. While deviating from the momo norm quite a bit, and expensive at Rs375 for a plate of open chicken steamed, the gimmick works and makes for an engaging, unique experience. 9.0/10.&nbsp;

Vishad Raj Onta

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MOMO LOCO

Fenerbahçe Beko won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi, held 23-25 May, defeating Monaco 81-70 in the final. Olympiacos, who defeated Panathinaikos 97-93, finished the series in third place. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final match, Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahçe Beko, received a prize of 1,000,000 Miles&amp;Smiles from Turkish Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur. The carrier has been the title sponsor of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a top tier tournament, since 2010.

Turkish Basketball

Thousands of Nepali students dreaming of an American education have been forced to look elsewhere as the Trump administration’s visa restrictions make their future uncertain.
The US was long considered a top destination for higher studies, making Nepal the 10th biggest country of origin for international students in America.&nbsp;
However, that number has seen a significant decline with the total for Nepali students now at 16,482. Some 8,000 Nepali students obtained no-objection certificates to study in the US from the Ministry of Education in the past year.&nbsp;
India, Australia, Canada, South Korea, United Kingdom and Japan are the other popular destinations for Nepali students. There are no clear numbers for Nepalis going to India, but a slight decline was noted this year after the deaths of two female students.
The US State Department has issued a circular to its embassies not to issue new visas to applicants until further notice. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the directive stated that the department planned to expand the screening of applicants' social media.&nbsp;
While new applicants are barred including those applying for visitor visas, students with scheduled interviews are allowed to proceed.
“Many of our students are affected by the new restrictions, but those who had applied for student visas earlier have got interview dates,” one Kathmandu-based college counsellor told us.
Meanwhile, even foreign students with spotless records already in the US have not been spared, as visa scrutiny intensifies under the new policy. In a move that underscores the growing sense of insecurity, many US colleges advised international students to carry their passports and documents at all times, even when traveling locally.
“Me and my friends did not go home this summer because we were not sure we would be allowed back, so we just went to Niagara Falls,” said a Nepali undergrad in Ohio, who like many interviewed for this report did not want her name used for fear of repercussion.
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Nepali students have adopted a cautious stance, with many choosing not to return home during summer vacation due to fear of visa revocations as well as travel bans. Meanwhile, over 7,000 Nepalis with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will have to come back to Nepal by 5 August or face deportation. Thirty-seven were flown back to Kathmandu on Omni Air last week.
“The US is one of the most sought-after destinations for higher education, and the ban will definitely impact bright students,” says Narottam Aryal of the King’s College in Kathmandu.
Indeed, Nepali undergraduates admitted into Ivy League colleges for the 2025 academic year have been asked to look for alternatives. The entire Fulbright Foreign Scholarships Board resigned on Wednesday citing interference from the Trump administration on the selection of this year’s cohort. Some Nepali students already on Fulbright scholarships have noted disruptions, delays and even cancellation of stipends.&nbsp;
The student visa restrictions were initially just for foreign students admitted to Harvard University, but it was later extended to all Chinese students and now to all students. Universities like Columbia which actively recruit foreign students, face sharp enrolment declines, threatening their financial stability and diversity.
An Indian female PhD candidate at Columbia University had her visa revoked by the US State Department, and said she was targeted on the basis of her social media posts on Israeli military attacks in Gaza. Social media vetting of political activism has raised concerns about privacy and freedom of expression in a country where such rights were a given.
Many students have been informed via email that their visas have been revoked for getting speeding or parking tickets, but even others with no criminal record have been affected. The fear of deportation looms large amongst international students, including those from Nepal.&nbsp;
For most Nepalis who migrate to the US for education, the journey is a high-stakes investment. They come largely from middle-class families, often rely on a patchwork of scholarships, work-study programs, loans, or even the sale of family assets to afford fees.
Most Nepali students pursue STEM subjects which offer extended Optional Practical Training (OPT) periods that help fund their education. But with the US backsliding on education and humanitarian matters, countries like the UK and Canada are becoming more attractive despite their own recent stricter controls on student visas.&nbsp;
The UK universities saw a 63% rise in Nepali students’ admissions in 2024. Japan is another popular destination with 64,816 Nepali students enrolled as of 2024.
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Already, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia are poised to benefit from the increased scrutiny of US student visas. Several Hong Kong universities are offering unconditional admission to affected students, while Malaysian institutions are targeting previously US-bound Asian students. China and India have 330,000 and 280,000 students respectively in America, but the numbers for China have seen a sharp drop in the past year.
Elsewhere, branch campuses of American institutions such as NYU in Abu Dhabi, Georgetown in Dubai and Northwestern in Doha are getting more admission applications, and universities in the Gulf region are expanding infrastructure to accommodate those who would otherwise have gone to the US.&nbsp;
Even educational institutions in Nepal are hopeful that the US visa restrictions can be an opportunity to at least keep Nepali undergrads in Nepal, and also attract foreign students from the region.&nbsp;
“Many students might choose to complete their undergraduate degree here in Nepal and then move abroad for their Master’s degree later,” says Aryal of King’s College. “There was a need for quality higher education in Nepal anyway in terms of innovation and opportunities, so this could be the time to reduce our dependence on other countries.”
Nepal’s strategic position between India and China makes it sensitive to US policy shifts. India, a key ally, is also under US scrutiny for potential student travel restrictions. Chinese universities are already offering more scholarships to Nepali talent to capitalise on the US retreat.
American universities have challenged student visa restrictions in the courts. A federal court in Boston revoked the blanket ban on Harvard, and the State Department has ordered the resumption of processing student and exchange visitor visas.&nbsp;
Some are still hoping that President Trump will backtrack on the student visa restrictions, just like he has done with many of his more drastic executive orders.
Even so, the visa see-saw and longer-term uncertainties about living in the United States and its education system means students across the world are making alternative plans.
Says Aryal: “Policies of foreign countries change according to their needs, so excessive dependence was never a good idea. We should work to create different opportunities and choices of higher education within Nepal, so students are retained.” &nbsp;

America no longer prime destination for Nepali students

While Nepal was hosting the Sagarmatha Sambaad international climate conference in Kathmandu this month, on Mt Everest it was pretty much business as usual.&nbsp; The signs of climate breakdown are all there: a river now runs through Base Camp in summer, the Khumbu Icefall is more unstable, and there are more &nbsp;frequent avalanches. When expeditions arrived in March, the mountains were bare: it had not snowed since September, but then blizzards dumped unseasonal snow in May. And despite climate worries, such is the pull of Himalayan mountaineering that the Everest Industry showed no signs of slowdown. More than 600 international climbers and their Nepali guides had made it to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. At one point there were an estimated 2,000 people in the tent city on the Khumbu Glacier. All the ropes and ladders on the Icefall came down on Thursday, marking the official end of the spring climbing season, and just in time to avoid a monsoon cyclone approaching from the Bay of Bengal. It has been an action-packed season. One factor could be that Everest fees will go up from September: each foreign climber needs to pay a $15,000 royalty, up from the present $11,000. The cost for a Nepali climber on the South Col route will also go up: from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000.&nbsp; The fee to climb Everest in autumn is $7,500 (up from $5,500), but most climbers still prefer spring. Winter permit fee (December-February) is only $3,750 per person and the mountain is now also open for monsoon (June-August) climbs, when the fee is ever lower at $2,750. The revised rule also makes it mandatory for every two climbers on an 8,000m peak to hire one Nepali mountain guide.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025053004050_67f856fe52714e4bdcf21ae7d45c6f18c82117b9d0a5f73ed1efa04c96de1046.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2025053004050_67f856fe52714e4bdcf21ae7d45c6f18c82117b9d0a5f73ed1efa04c96de1046" data-rendition-name="original" width="931" height="732" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry graph 1"> </figure>  In addition, climbers also have to pay for porters and guides, equipment, Base Camp costs, Ice Fall and fixed rope team fees, so climbing Everest does not come cheap. But such is the draw of climbing the world’s highest peak that some say the increased fees will not diminish the crowds next year. The government has tried to spread expeditions out to other seasons and other 8,000ers, but with not much success. Earlier this year, Nepal unilaterally increased the number of 8,000m peaks to 14 by adding six more sub-summits to broaden the choice for climbers. Added were: Yalung Kang (8,505m), Yalung Kang West (8,077m) &nbsp;Kangchenjunga Central (8,473m), Kangchenjunga South (8,476m), Lhotse Middle (8,410m) and Lhotse Shar (8,400m).&nbsp; The announcement could go against the accepted topographic criteria that a stand alone peak has to be at least 300m higher than an adjoining prominence, and at more than 3km isolation from it. The UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme) still recognises only 14 mountains as eight-thousanders, and only eight of those are in Nepal, or on the border with China. Nepal’s revised mountaineering regulations also increased the insurance coverage of high-altitude workers to protect porters and high altitude guides who usually take more risks on the mountains. Rescue teams and clean-up campaigners to collect trash and remove bodies of dead climbers up to Camp IV of Mt Everest do not need permits.&nbsp; The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee is now using drones to fly down trash in 20kg sacks. Each climber is also required to bring down at least 6kg of waste and not just their own, but this rule is erratically enforced. With five fatalities on Everest and Lhotse, Spring 2025 had a historically low death toll. Another five climbers died on Annapurna, Kangchenjunga and Makalu.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025053004050_38681de22f0fefb6faa12b01755566d09c5064d0ff84e12ccc7b5d68ea9ba38a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2025053004050_38681de22f0fefb6faa12b01755566d09c5064d0ff84e12ccc7b5d68ea9ba38a" data-rendition-name="original" width="665" height="740" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest industry graph 2"> </figure>  Journalist Ben Ayers who ran the Everest Live social media channel from Everest Base Camp with daily updates credited the low death rate to dramatic rescues of climbers from the ‘Death Zone’ by their Nepali guides and longline helievacs — the visuals all uploaded on YouTube.&nbsp; “Ironically, this perception of safety is bringing more and more inexperienced climbers to the mountain, and they need more rescues,” Ayers said in one of his dispatches.&nbsp; American expedition chronicler and summiteer Alan Arnette suspects there is a lot of under-reporting given that the jet stream and storms were lashing Everest even till late in the season. He told us: “I heard a lot about frostbite and rescues that were not made public. It’s become practically impossible to cover the details on Everest. All the teams report nice news, and they don’t talk about bad stuff to avoid hurting businesses.” Although trash on Nepal’s mountains makes headlines, what does not receive as much attention is the climate impact of so many expeditions. The Sagarmatha Sambaad conference sidestepped this issue, which is ironic given that the impact of climate breakdown is most evident on Himalayan peaks and their glaciers.&nbsp; <h2>Need for Speed</h2> The big stories this year have been about speed-running from their home cities to the top of Everest. Ukrainian entrepreneur Andrew Ushakov flew out of JFK on 15 May at 10:15AM Nepal time, and was on the summit 3 days, 23 hours, and 7 minutes later on 19 May at 9:22AM.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250601080640_1c5cc6fc991307861768f07037ed9d30930fb20f35dbb57dc31c9a92a9e1a885.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250601080640_1c5cc6fc991307861768f07037ed9d30930fb20f35dbb57dc31c9a92a9e1a885" data-rendition-name="original" width="1440" height="1800" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry"> <figcaption>Andrew Ushakov at the summt. Photo: ELITE EXPED</figcaption> </figure>  “I could never find the time for the traditional 40-50 days of acclimatisation,” Ushakov explained matter-of-factly. His ‘Everest Sea-to-Summit’ climb was possible because he spent 400 hours in hypoxic sleep tents over the past four years in New York. However, Ushakov did use ropes already fixed, hired four Nepali guides, helicoptered to Base Camp, and used much more oxygen than an average climber. And after the climb, Ushakov was arrested at Kathmandu airport for being in possession of $20,000 of undeclared cash and spent a night in jail and fined $60,000.&nbsp; The other speedsters were Garth Miller, Alastair Cairns, Anthony Stazicker, and Kev Godlington, all former British Army commandos. They left London and summited five days later on 21 May, and flew right back. They also used hypoxic tents to simulate the thin air high on Everest.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250601080644_90c8dd5cc07b4b43f2989b1dc0c0650ab80f10ebb06680c25a6909c519957bd8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250601080644_90c8dd5cc07b4b43f2989b1dc0c0650ab80f10ebb06680c25a6909c519957bd8" data-rendition-name="original" width="810" height="668" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry "> <figcaption>All four members of the Furtenbach team at the summit. Photo: Sandro Gromen-Hayes</figcaption> </figure>  But more controversial was their use of xenon gas therapy in a German hospital to ramp up the production of oxygen-carrying haemoglobins in their blood. Xenon is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for being performance enhancing in sports. Expedition leader Lukas Furtenbach said this rule does not apply to mountaineering, as it is not a regulated sport like swimming. Nepal has no rules about xenon, but the Department of Tourism said it was launching an ‘investigation’ to decide on future policy since it is difficult to ban xenon, but allow oxygen. The controversy has also divided the mountaineering community, with some climbers saying they just want to maximise their chances of survival. Spending less time on the mountain could make climbing safer by reducing avalanche risk. It would also mean less trash on the mountains, but it would reduce the income of Nepal’s expedition industry. It is also unclear how much of the success was due to xenon therapy and whether the ex-special forces were already in good physical shape.&nbsp; The need for speed hides the fact that climbing in the Himalaya is dangerous business, and climbers cannot sprint to the top just by huffing xenon. But ultra-fast climbs could be charged more, and the revenue generated can be used to establish state-of-the-art rescue operations, and increase pay and insurance for guides. Two other speed chasers this season were Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff and American Tyler Andrews, both on Everest without oxygen. Andrews choppered to Base Camp to catch a weather window, but turned back from 8,500m due to high winds. Heavy snow and wind also forced Egloff to descend from 7,000m. Slow and steady climbers like Anja Blacha from Germany did make it to the summit without oxygen, while Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record with his 31st Everest summit as he led a 26-strong Indian Army group. There were 468 permits issued for foreign climbers from 48 expeditions to Everest this spring. Nepal’s other eight-thousanders together had only 17 expeditions. Nepal has more than 1,000 peaks above 6,000m, and has opened only 476 of them for climbing.&nbsp;

The Everest Industry

While Nepal marked <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mt-everest-pvt-ltd">Mt Everest</a> Day on 29 May, on the other side of the planet in the US state of Colorado dozens of Nepalis who have climbed the world’s highest peak multiple times were busy working as chefs and Uber drivers. Among them is Nima Doma Sherpa, who climbed Mt Everest in 2019 after her husband Tshering Wangchu was among 16 crushed by an avalanche on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/on-thin-ice-in-the-khumbu">the Khumbu Icefall</a> five years earlier. A large serac broke off the West Shoulder of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-everest-industry">Mt Everest </a>and fell directly on a group of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/more-porters-sick-on-everest-trail">porters and guides</a> making their way up the Icefall at 5,800m. Their bodies were flown by helicopter to Khumjung where Tshering Wangchu was born. He was excited about climbing Mt Everest for the first time.&nbsp; In Khumjung, Nima Doma felt like her own life had also ended. This was the kind of news Sherpa wives, mothers and sisters dreaded every <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/peak-climbing-season-2025-s4abrxny">mountaineering season</a>. She stayed home for more than two years grieving, but ultimately gathered up all her emotional strength to take care of her 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. Nima had grown up in Khumjung hearing <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/stories-of-nepal-s-summiteers">tales of adventure on the mountains </a>from their father, Ang Chubi Sherpa who had climbed Everest in 1993. He used to bring her and her sisters and brother European chocolates after every expedition, and used to tell them that the chocolate bars grew on the mountains. “It was only after we got older did we realise that he told us that chocolates grew in the mountains so we would not worry about him putting himself in harm's way,” Nima Doma recalled with a faraway look at her home in Boulder this week. Nima went to the school that <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/commemorating-edmund-hillary-in-nepal,4145">Edmund Hillary</a> opened in Khumjung till Grade 8, and then dropped out to help in the kitchen and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">tend yaks</a>. She was married off to Tshering Wangchu, who was also a high altitude guide. When Tshering went on expeditions, Nima also started working as a porter from Namche to Base Camp. It was perhaps her father’s tales of mountains of chocolates that had always attracted her to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/knowing-our-mountains-43v4iyvo">the peaks</a>. After her husband was killed ten years ago this month, being a widow with children was not easy for Nima Doma. But she was not alone: there were at least 200 single mothers in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/khumbu-since-1950-jaww4qn0">the Khumbu</a>, and 20 of them just in Khumjung whose husbands had been killed in <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/tragic-start-to-himalayan-spring-nepal,3695">mountaineering accidents</a>. Some were not even 20 years old, and had children growing up without fathers. But there were also women in the 50s whose husbands had been killed in the 1980s. Nima found sponsors for her children’s education, and moved to Kathmandu. In the capital, Sherpa widows used to meet to help each other. Some of them had joined the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) training for rock and ice climbing. “I decided that it was no use sitting home and crying anymore, after meeting other single mothers I felt less alone,” remembers Nima, who joined the Juniper Foundation and enrolled in an NMA training camp in Manang. There she climbed Chulu East (6,584m) and met Furadiki Sherpa, whose rope-fixing husband had also been <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/on-mt-everest-s-70th-records-and-fatalities">killed on Everest</a> in 2013. They set themselves the goal of climbing Everest one day, and started a fund-raising drive.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250530090544_621be0724b9182c8e3594b2c562a71ec32ac01d985a71d0cf31646de9d51e15a.png" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20250530090544_621be0724b9182c8e3594b2c562a71ec32ac01d985a71d0cf31646de9d51e15a" data-rendition-name="original" width="2678" height="1274" loading="lazy" alt="Everest summiteers find new life in the US"> </figure>  “We decided we had to overcome society’s stigma of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/widows-personal-happiness-comes-last-in-face-of-social-financial-hardships,1855">widowhood</a> and prove that <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/remembering-junko-tabei">women could also climb mountains</a>,” Nima said, adding that she was inspired by Nepal’s first woman Everest summiteer Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, who died during her descent in 1993. Nima Doma and Furdiki climbed the technically-difficult Ama Dablam (6,812m) and then arrived at Everest Base Camp in April 2019 as part of their Two Widows Expedition with the motto, ‘So Can We’. While climbing up the Icefall Nima passed the spot where her husband had been killed. It was a jumble of constantly-shifting ice blocks bigger than houses. She closed her eyes and said a prayer. “I remember thinking, this is so difficult and dangerous. This is what my husband had to do to support our family,” Nima Doma said. “I was determined to fulfil my husband’s dream of climbing Chomolungma, and to prove to ourselves that we two women could do it.” It was 23 May 2019 when <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/world/two-sherpa-widows-scale-everest-and-smash-stigma-idUSKCN1SU0MV/" target="_blank">Nima and Furdiki stepped on the summit</a> and looked over into Tibet, and down at Tengboche Monastery to the south.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250530090544_6b822582b5d88ba5e972db084f184690b40653c6efd9901b2dd082ffba2a263b.png" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="20250530090544_6b822582b5d88ba5e972db084f184690b40653c6efd9901b2dd082ffba2a263b" data-rendition-name="original" width="2700" height="1522" loading="lazy" alt="Everest summiteers find new life in the US"> </figure>  Nima Doma hugged Furdiki, took off her mask and wept. But for the first time in five years, it was not from grief but relief — relief for being free of all the sadness and sacrifices and for fulfilling her husband’s dream. They had found <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/life-after-death">life after death</a>. “I felt this immense joy to be on top of the world, it was indescribable,” Nima Doma said, “I have wept only twice in my life. Once when my husband died, and once there on top of Everest.” The tears had frozen on Nima Doma’s cheeks, as she and Furdiki headed back down the mountain.

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Everest summiteers find new life in the US