KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s mountain guides have once again demonstrated their physical and mental endurance after successfully taking on several challenging routes in the Himalayas.
Mountain guides Augustine Bulangai, 42, and Cornelius Sanan, 45, were the only two members of an 11-person expedition team to reach Kala Patthar, which stands at 5,644.5m above sea level, on Tuesday (Nov 10).
They completed the climb in extreme conditions, with temperatures plunging to -30°C.
The expedition team had earlier reached Everest Base Camp on Monday.
The 11-member group comprised five mountain guides and six other trekkers.
Apart from Augustine and Cornelius, the other guides were Syakirin Sumail, 26, Ewon Binidek, 30, and Fredie Binidek, 34.
The other participants were Noorazalina Hamzah, 40, Mohamad Nizam Kamisan, 34, Jaliah Benjee, 41, Ealdy Cenno Donald, 31, Fenny Lisa, 28, and Ricks Padayao Enrikue, 32.
In a separate expedition on Sunday, three participants, including a mountain guide, successfully reached Thorong La Pass along the Annapurna Circuit at an altitude of 5,416m.
Roslyn, 37, Preshilla, 36, and mountain guide Juani Bigul, 40, reached the pass at about 10.40am Nepal time.
The trio completed the ascent and descent in temperatures as low as -23°C.
The two teams were taking part in the "Dari Sabah Borneo ke Himalaya Ku Daki" (From Sabah Borneo to the Himalayas I Climb) expeditions organised by Mount Kinabalu Adventure and Travel Sdn Bhd (MKA).
