Winter Newsletter – December 2025

Namaste!

We’re slowly winding down after an eventful but relatively busy Autumn trekking season. The Gen Z uprising happened just before trekking groups began to arrive in early September. Bill S was trekking with Rajbir in the Langtang region at that time. Bill did complete the trek, made it safely back to Kathmandu and returned home as scheduled. The demonstrations, however, did result in a few trip cancellations at Crystal Mountain Treks.

Then cyclone Monta, which crept up from the Bay of Bengal, brought snow/rain in the central and eastern mountains of Nepal on November 01. Landslides and avalanches that followed were responsible for around 15 casualties in the Manaslu and Rolwaling regions. We had a couple that had started out on the Manaslu trek. But they, wisely, decided to return and chose to trek the Annapurna Circuit instead. The Manaslu Circuit trek begins in narrow valleys which have probably been weakened after the 2015 earthquake. And heavy rainfall seems to easily trigger landslides and mudslides in this region.

At the moment, we have one trekking party out in the mountains. While the mornings and nights are colder than in October or November, the late morning/afternoon sun makes the hiking pleasant. A big upside is that the views of the mountains are spectacular – a reminder that trekking in December is a good idea. Below are a couple photos from the Annapurna Base Camp trek taken a few days ago by senior guide Rajbir Rai who is currently leading the trek.

 

Anyways, below are some updates at 3 Summits for Nepal and Crystal Mountain Treks:

New school in the Kanchenjunga region

After a 3-year hiatus, we are planning to build another school in the Kanchenjunga region. Due to financial mis-management (read corruption) over the years, our country’s coffers have emptied substantially. And because of the recent destruction of Government buildings during the Zen Z uprising very little of the budget in the next few years will be allocated to school building (or rebuilding) especially in the remote regions of Nepal. We have received requests/recommendations from a few sites. I will be going to Taplejung district (Kanchenjunga region) next month to scout and evaluate where a school is needed most. Thanks to Linda H., a previous trekker and long time supporter of 3 Summits for Nepal, we have sufficient funds to commence the school building.

List of schools we have built or helped rebuild till date:

1. Pathibhara Primary school, Kavre district
2. Financial help for the Bindabasini High School, Kavre district
3. Gaubari Primary school, Taplejung district
4. Jalpa Secondary school, Khotang district
5. Yasang Primary school, Taplejung district
6. Margem Primary school, Taplejung district
7. Shree Simha Devi Lower Secondary School, Gorkha district
8. Shree Pashupati Higher Secondary School, Parbat district
9. Solima Primary school, Taplejung district
10. Girls hostel at Tembe School, Taplejung district
11. Girls hostel at Janata Secondary School, Taplejung district
12. Sonem Primary School, Taplejung district

Raising funds for Sandiya Limbu to help her become a registered nurse

Along with the schools, we are simultaneously raising funds for the higher education of Sandiya Limbu of Hellok village. Sandiya is the daughter of Purna Limbu, a social worker who has helped 3 Summits for Nepal since we began building schools in the Kanchenjunga region 16 years ago. As a village elder, Purna Limbu has been a reliable liaison for 3 summits for Nepal in the region. He has helped us identify locations that desperately require a school. He has even volunteered at some of our school sites encouraging others to do the same. Purna confided with me that his daughter was driven and wanted to become a nurse. But because of his financial condition, he had to refuse his daughter. I told Purna that I would help Sandiya achieve her dream but that Purna would have to also contribute to her education.

Sandiya, who recently graduated from high school, plans to enroll in the three-year nursing program which costs an estimated US$10,500. Our goal is to raise US$6,000 to help in her pursuit. The funds will be released equally over three years. Click link to see Sandiya’s bio-data (prepared by Sandiya). DONATE HERE.

My Trek to Nar Phu, Teri La pass and Upper Mustang

It had been two years since my last long trek into the Himalayas – my last trek was to Makalu Base Camp in 2023. Usually, I would go on one or two treks every year. Just me and a few of my guides. From these treks, I would gain first-hand experience of the trekking trail; first-hand knowledge of the product we are offering our trekkers. These long treks, I believe, are a great way to reboot, revitalize and regenerate, especially after living for a long stretch in Kathmandu. But since being blessed with a beautiful daughter, balancing new responsibilities and long adventures in the mountains had become quite tricky.

Initially, I had planned on a month-long circuit of the Dolpo region. But meteorologists had warned of a more-than-average rainfall year (that never came). Hence, instead, we opted for the Nar-Phu and Mustang trek which was also high on my list of places to visit. This region falls mostly in the rain-shadow area and is less prone to heavy rain fall. Regardless, I still plan to go back to Dolpo next year.

Read the full report here.

Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek (New Video)

It was slow in coming but we have finally published the first of two parts of the Kanchenjunga Base Camp Trek.

In November 2024, Steve and Andrea from Sitka, Alaska, set out on a 24-day CAMPING trek to Kangchenjunga’s South and North base camps. They were joined by a team of 10 staff from Crystal Mountain Treks including a guide, a cook, and eight porters. This is their journey through the Kanchenjunga region of Nepal: trekking to the Kanchenjunga South Base Camp, traversing over the Selela pass and then trekking to the Kanchenjunga North Base Camp.

Current political situation in Nepal

The events of September 08 and September 09 will forever be etched in Nepal’s history. Over the two days, Gen Z demonstrators, those born between 1997 and 2012, made history by toppling the Government. The then Prime Minister, K P Sharma Oli, and other ministers had to be evacuated by army helicopter to avoid the wrath of demonstrators. Demonstrations began to protest the ban on social media (beware trying to forbid the young generation from using facebook/instagram/tik tok etc). However, resentment over endemic corruption and unemployment among those in their 20’s and 30’s was what caused violence to spill over in the streets of Kathmandu and several other districts. The Prime Minister resigned and the parliament was dissolved. And a care-taker Government with an interim Prime Minister (also the first female Prime Minister) was instated.

The interim Government has an uphill, dual mandate to hold elections on March 05, 2026 and to crack down on corruption. As of now, over 125 political parties, including the three parties that had the majority in the parliament have registered for the upcoming elections. This is a promising sign. What is worrying is that the three leaders of the three biggest political parties, Sher Bahadur Deuba, KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, are still at the helm of their respective parties. These are exactly the people that the Gen Z movement had tried to displace.

The interim Government has also begun to indict corrupt bureaucrats and politicians. It recently filed a corruption charge against 55 individuals alleging financial irregularities in the construction of the new Pokhara airport. Among those indicted were five previous ministers and the Director General of the Civil Aviation Association of Nepal. Nepalis hope more big fish will be netted in the future.

XTERRA – Nepal (second edition)

The second edition of XTERRA Nepal concluded on November 29, 2025. More than120 participants – mostly amateur athletes – raced in the Begnas Lake area in Pokhara with Machhapuchare (Fishtail), Annapurna II, III and IV and Lamjung Himal looming over the valley. The races included:

• Full distance triathlon (1.5 km swimming, 28 km biking and 12 km running)
• Sprint distance triathlon (750 m swimming, 14 km biking and 6 km running)
• Mixed relay triathlon (750 m swimming, 14 km biking and 6 km running)
• Duathlon (6km running, 14 km biking, 6km running)
• 6 km trail running
• 12 km trail running

It was also encouraging to see many Nepalis among the 25 triathletes. Nepalis are not good swimmers and hence we also included Duathlon (running and biking only). We hope that there will be more Nepali triathletes in the future. Crystal Mountain Treks is proud to be a founding organizer and sponsor of the event. We invite aspiring triathletes from all over the world to join us for the third edition of this event in November 2026. If you book a standard trek programs or a customized trek with Crystal Mountain Treks in November, you could participate in the XTERRA Nepal event. We will pay for your event registration fee and two nights in Pokhara.

• Annapurna Base Camp Trek
• Annapurna – Khopra Ridge Trek
• Manaslu Circuit Trek
• Annapurna Circuit Trek
• Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek

The DHAULAGIRI CIRCUIT TREK in 2026

Christopher Natsuume, my friend from graduate school, will be trekking the Dhaulagiri Circuit in the Spring of 2026. This is part of his quest to visit all base camps of mountains over 8,000 meters. He has already been to the base camps of Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, Annapurna and Cho-Oyu.

Chris says, “Cho-Oyu was the longest to get to, and the most beautiful. It’s been my favorite so far. Annapurna was the easiest. EBC/Lhotse Base Camp was the least pretty, but the walk there was the most beautiful – Amadablam, etc…  Manaslu Base Camp was the hardest walk straight up, but was the prettiest of the mountains.”

Dates: May 04 – 22, 2026 (19 days)

Price: 3 participants – US$ 4,500 and 4-6 participants – US$ 4,300

The Dhaulagiri circuit trek circles the Dhaulagiri massif. This is the shortest camping trek in Nepal we offer where we will get over 5,360m/17,600ft (The French pass).  I will be joining Chris on this trek. I did this trek around 15 years ago and am eager to experience it again. Chris and I also have plans to visit the base camps of K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I and II and Broad Peak in Pakistan soon.

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All 3 Summits for Nepal programs are possible because of your donations. To donate to our school and training projects in the future, please click on this DONATION LINK. Global Pearls manages all our donations which are tax deductible in the USA.

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