How to market Mountains perfectly – an advise for Nepal

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This article has been published on Medium.

Mountains, especially the highest ones, are highly attractive. Some regions of the world got rich because they market their mountains perfectly. Since years Nepal tries to profit more from its miracles of nature – Swiss people have progressed further, fib a bit and profit.

The highest mountain of Europe is Mont Blanc with 4.810 meters (15.780 feet) of height – a traditional opinion, but debatable. Europe ends at the Caucasus and that is were 5.642 meters (18.510 feet) high Mount Elbrus is located. Far higher than Mont Blanc: the highest mountain of the alps. But neither the French nor the Italians, who own half of Monte Bianco, do anything to correct this opinion.

The lovely Saas Valley in the Swiss canton Wallis lies close. A loop path called “18 four-thousenders” is another example of aggressive Marketing. Walking along this path on over 3.000 meters height you could see 18 mountains, which are titled in the map of „freien Ferienrepublik“ Saas-Fee as being above 4.000 (13.123 feet) meter tall. Most impressive is Dom (Dome), the highest mountain which is all Swiss with the surrounding Mischabel-Group, the massive Taeschhorn, the Nadelhorn, or the Allalinhorn, topped in white.

Regrettably the Swiss cheat a bit – not all of those mountains are mountains.

Ranking lists of mountains exist since more than a century. In order to settle differences, topographic criteria have been developed and acknowledged internationally to define what a mountain. In short: the prominence of a mountain has to be 300 meters (980 feet) and above. If the prominence, the distance form the summit of a mountain to its highest col, is less than 300 meters, than this elevation is a side summit of a taller mountain.

At minimum seven of the 18 four-thousanders of the loop path in Saas-valley are summits, not mountains. The Alllaninhorn, the Täschhorn and the Nadelhorn – all noble elevations of up to 4.491 meters height, taller than the Matterhorn, but no mountains. The Allalinhorn is only separated by 255 meters of Alphubel at the col with the same name, the Taeschhorn rises only 210 meters above the Domjoch and the Nadelhorn not more than 206 meters above the Lenzjoch – the Taeschhorn is the south summit, and Nadelhorn one of the various north summits of Dom! The popular round trip should be called 11 four-thousanders.

But who bothers?

Nepalese should bother, since they also try to market their belongings. The highest mountain of the world is Mt Everest, that is eventually indisputable, although mostly Americans argue that Mauna Kea on Hawaii or Denali in Alaska are taller.

But afterwards? Eight of the defined 8.000ers (above 26.246 feet) are at least partially located in Nepal. Judged by Swiss standards it should be 13! Altogether six summits, five located in Nepal could be eight-thousanders – UAAA ( Union of Asian Alpine Associations) president Ang Tshering Sherpa from Nepal has requested this some years ago. It would be:

• Yarlung Khang -8505m (Alias- Kanchenjunga West), Nepal
• Kanchenjunga South- 8476m (Nepal-India Border)
• Kanchenjunga Central – 8473m (Nepal- India Border)
• Lhotse Middle – 8413m (Nepal-China border)
• Lhotse Shar – 8400m (Nepal- China border)
• Broad Peak Central – 8011m (Pakistan-China border).

The mighty massive of the third tallest mountain on earth, of Kanchenjunga, would than house four eight-thousanders, as many as Karakorum. The impressive 3,5 kilometers (11.482 feet) high south face of Lhotse, the fourth tallest mountain on earth, would be topped by three giants. The shortcoming: all have a prominence of less than 300 meters, such as Allalinhorn, Täschhorn, or in the Swiss Wallis.

Nepal, one of the poorest countries could profit. Switzerland is not out of sight. Already the romans knew how beautiful the Wallis and its surroundings are, but only in the mid of the 19. Century, after the Matterhorn has been climbed the first time on July 14th 1865, more and more tourists arrived. With the opening of the Simplon-tunnel in 1905 the Wallis was connected to Italy, and since 1913 it could be reached quickly from the north (Berner Oberland) by the Lötschberg-tunnel. Only by then tourists could easily come and enjoy the scenery.

There are already many tourists in Nepal but with modern marketing the number of tourists could explode. From Mt Everest eleven eight-thousanders could be seen, not just six like today. Even before tourists would reach Mt Everest base camp they could travel to see three Lhotse eight-thousanders. And from Darjeeling, the world famous tee area in northern India, tourists could great four mountains.

Perhaps it would be easier to finance some tunnels to make the area accessible and provide better accommodation for tourists: Namche Bazaar could be the new Saas Fee.