EVEREST PARAGLIDING AND KAYAKING PAIR SELECTED AS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURERS OF THE YEAR
National Geographic and Glenfiddich Single Malt Honor Nepali Adventure Pioneers Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa and Sano Babu Sunuwar.
WASHINGTON (Feb. 28, 2012)—Everest guide Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa and extreme kayaker Sano Babu Sunuwar were named the People's Choice Adventurers of the Year for 2012 for their climb to Everest's summit, record-setting paragliding descent and long-distance kayak from Nepal to the Bay of Bengal in India. The two Nepali adventurers were selected from a group of 12 individuals whose extraordinary achievements in exploration, conservation and adventure sports distinguished them in the past year. The final selection was determined through online voting on the National Geographic Adventure website www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure.
The winning duo was chosen for its epic three-month adventure called "The Ultimate Descent," which included an ascent of Everest (a first for kayaker Babu, but the fourth for mountain guide Lakpa), an 8,865-meter (29,084-foot) free-flight paraglide descent from the summit (which set a world record for free flight) and an 850-km (approximately 528-mile) kayak trip from Nepal to India on the Ganges River to the Bay of Bengal. Along the way, Babu, 28, and Lakpa, 39, faced obstacles ranging from extreme temperatures and oxygen deprivation at the summit to massive whirlpools on the Kosi River's class V rapids to being held up at knifepoint in India. "We weren't after a record, we just wanted to do all these things, climbing, paragliding, kayaking, in one continuous trip," said Lakpa. When asked about his favorite part of the trip, Babu said, "Taking off from the highest point in the world." "We believe that Lakpa and Babu exemplify the spirit of the award in their commitment to adventure in the truest sense of the word," said Mary Anne Potts, editor of National Geographic Adventure. "Our fans — more than 72,000 across the adventure community — voted overwhelmingly for these two incredible athletes, and we're thrilled to call them the People's Choice Adventurers of the Year."
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