KATHMANDU: Seventy years after two of the world's great 8,000-metre peaks were climbed for the first time, Nepal is preparing to mark the occasion with ceremonies that will take the celebrations back to the very communities that live in the shadow of those mountains.

The platinum jubilees of the first ascents of Mt. Manaslu and Mt. Lhotse — both achieved in 1956 — will be commemorated through official programmes in Sama Gaun, Pokhara, and Khumjung next month, jointly organised by the Nepal Mountaineering Association, Nepal Tourism Board, Tsum Nubri Rural Municipality, and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality.

Manaslu was first climbed on May 9, 1956, by Toshio Imanishi of Japan — an ascent that NMA officials note also marked the beginning of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan. Lhotse followed on May 18, 1956, summited by Swiss climbers Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger. Both peaks now rank among the world's fourteen 8,000-metre giants, and both remain serious high-altitude objectives that draw climbers from across the world each season.

The Manaslu celebrations will be held on May 8–9 in Sama Gaun, Gorkha — the gateway community for Manaslu expeditions — with a follow-on programme at the International Mountain Museum in Pokhara on May 10. Japanese Ambassador Maeda Toru will inaugurate a 3D model of Manaslu at the museum, and the Japanese Alpine Club will present on the original 1956 expedition alongside a documentary screening. The Lhotse jubilee follows on May 21 in Khumjung, Solukhumbu, deep in the Khumbu valley.

Family members of the original summiteers of both peaks are travelling to Nepal for the events — a detail the NMA has been coordinating closely to ensure.

A highlight of both celebrations will be the unveiling of statues of the first ascenders at the respective venues. A statue of Urkien Tshering Sherpa — the first Nepali to summit both Manaslu and Lhotse, achieving the double in 1973 and 1977 respectively — will also be erected as part of the commemorations, a recognition long overdue for one of Nepal's pioneering high-altitude climbers.

 Fur Gelje Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), said:

"Preparations for the events are in their final stages. We have planned a series of programs to celebrate the 70th anniversary of these historic ascents. As part of the celebrations, statues of the first ascenders of Mount Manaslu and Mount Lhotse will be installed in Sama Gaun and Khumjung, respectively, and inaugurated in their respective regions.

"Additionally, a statue of Urkien Tshering Sherpa, the first Nepali climber to summit both Mount Manaslu and Mount Lhotse—achieving the feat on April 22, 1973, and May 8, 1977, respectively—will also be erected and inaugurated," Sherpa added.

For tourism, the jubilees present a rare convergence of mountaineering history, cultural celebration, and destination storytelling across two of Nepal's most compelling trekking and expedition circuits — the Manaslu Circuit and the Khumbu region. NTB Senior Director Sunil Sharma said the Board is working closely with NMA and local governments to leverage the occasion for broader promotion of Nepal's mountaineering heritage.

The Embassies of Japan and Switzerland are co-organising their respective national peaks' jubilees, while Gorkha Municipality and the National Trust for Nature Conservation are also among the partners for the Manaslu event.