On the occasion of the 71st International Sagarmatha Day, civil servant Khimlal Gautam was honored with the Baburam Acharya Sagarmatha Award 2024. Gautam, an undersecretary with the Department of Survey, was recognized for being the first civil servant of Nepal to summit Mount Everest twice and for promoting Nepal’s mountaineering legacy and contributing to the accurate measurement of the world’s highest peak.
The award was presented by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal during a program organized by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation in Kathmandu to celebrate Sagarmatha Day. The ministry acknowledged Gautam’s academic and noteworthy contributions, highlighting his courage, excellent leadership, and unwavering commitment.
Gautam led the government expedition that guided a survey team to the summit of Everest in 2019, using GPS and GNSS devices to collect data on the peak’s altitude. Based on this data, Nepal and China announced in 2021 that the new height of Everest is 8,848.86 meters, slightly higher than the previously recognized height.
Several other Nepali and foreign climbers were feted with various awards on the occasion. Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa, a climber and tourism entrepreneur, has been awarded the Sagarmatha International Award 2024.
Pema Chhiring Sherpa of Dolakha, Col Sunil Singh Rathore of the Nepal Army, AC Sherpa of Solukhumbu, and Furdiki Sherpa and Nima Doma Sherpa, members of Single Women Everest Expedition have received the Tenzing Hillary Award 2024. Similarly, Tshering Dhenduk Bhote, Narendra Shahi, Galje Sherpa, Lhakpa Dendi Sherpa, and Ang Sarki Sherpa have been honored by the Koshi province.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation has also recognized other climbers, including Kami Rita Sherpa, Phunjo Lama, Nangsyal Chhyoten Lama, and Dawa Phinjok Sherpa.
Foreign climbers were also honored, including Australian climber Allie Pepper, who summited Mount Everest and Annapurna I without oxygen, Silvia Azdreeva of Bulgaria, Kaamya Karthikeyan and Com S. Karthikeyan of India, Jigme Pelden Dorji of Bhutan, Ligia Maria Madrigal Moya of Costa Rica, and Lucia Janicova of Slovakia.
