InternationalMountain Museum
Pokhara, Nepal

Introduction
Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) established International
Mountain Museum (IMM), the only mountain museum of its kind in
the world in the lake city,Pokhara. It was officially inaugurated on
5 Feb, 2004.The first disabled friendly museum of Nepal has been
established with the specific purpose of recording, documenting,and chronicling the various developments and changes that havetaken place primarily in three areas namely people residing in themountains of the world, the historic and scientific information about
the origin of the global mountain system and the various activities
which have established world records in the field of mountaineeringand related activities. In fact, it is one unique place where Man,
Mountain, and Mountaineering Activities meet under one roof.
In tune with the set of objectives, the museum exhibits include
mountains, their people and culture, the world mountain system,
their geological formation, mountain flora and fauna, and thoserelated to mountain exhibits such as mountaineering, skiing, etc. In
addition, the museum also displays mountaineering history and thedevelopment of mountaineering techniques and equipment overthe years.
The aim is also to develop International Mountain Museum (IMM)
as the International Mountain studies Centre (IMSC) by enhancing
its archives that will prove helpful for the researchers in the above
areas of study.

Location

MUSEUM LAYOUT

Pokhara, where IMM is situated, is an idyllic city of 200km. to
the west of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and at an altitudeof 827m.above the main sea level. Pokhara is the ideal destination
for the museum as it boasts of the serenity of the lakes and theawe-inspiring Himalayas in the background creating an ambiance oftranquility and magical spell.

The International Mountain Museum has four exhibit halls open
to visitors.

Pokhara was chosen as the site for the IMM because of the scenic
location and lies in the laps of the mighty Annapurna range and thefirst ascended above eight- thousand m. peak Annapurna I (8091m )by Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenalon 3 June 1950. Moreover,almost every visitor to Nepal has Pokharaon their itinerary.

Mountain People of Nepal
To familiarize the visitors with the customs, traditions, and cultureof the mountain people of Nepal, the dresses, ornaments, musicalinstruments, household utensils and cultural activities of theSherpas, Gurungs,Tamangs,Thakalis, Chhntyals, Pun Magars,Yakkhas,Rais, Limbus, and Sunuwars have been displaced in this section.

Pokhara is also a starting point for mountaineering, trekking, andrafting destinations. A visit to Nepal without a sojourn to Pokhara
is considered incomplete. And, while in Pokhara, a must-visit is theIMM which has spread over a total floor area of 4.242 squaremeters on 12.5 acres of land.

1. HALL OF MOUNTAIN PEOPLE (BASEMENTFLOOR)
It has two sections and the museum starts from here.

Mountain People of the WorldThis section introduces the visitors to mountain people of othercountries e.g Taiwan, Slovenia, and Japan, and compares images of
the alpine mountain people of Europe from more than fifty years
back and present-day Nepal.

Mountain Section
This presents an introduction of all the fourteen peaks over 8000m
and their images on display.

The MandalaIn the center of the Hall of Mountain People, a Sand Mandala createdby artist Lama Ngawang Kechha Sherpa has been exhibited. It ismade of colored sand is certain to attract visitors to the museum.
2. HALL OF WORLD MOUNTAINS (BASEMENTFLOOR)
This Hall introduces the name and height of national andinternational mountains, their historical background, highest
summits, geological information, the origin of the Himalayas floraand fauna of the Himalayan region, research on mountains, andchanges in the features of the earth over the time.
There are four sections in this Hall.

Geological Section
This section exhibits the geological formation of the mountains.
Flora and Fauna Section
This section displays the natural vegetation, animals, and birds ofthe mountain regions of Nepal.

3. HALL OF MOUNTAIN ACTIVITIES (BASEMENTFLOOR)
Mountaineering Section
This section displays the equipment, clothes, and photographsof the successful French Expedition team member Mr. Maurice
Herzog who had scaled an 8000m peak (Mt. Annapurna I) for thefirst time on3 June1950. Moreover, exhibits of Ms. Junko Tabei,
the first woman Everest summiteer, Mr. ToshiuImanishi, the first
Mt. Manaslu summiteer, Lionel Terrey, the first Makalu summiteer
and team leader Jean Franco and other mountaineers’ are also ondisplay.

Corner of Dedications
In memory of their invaluable contributions, this section displays
the clothes, equipment, photographs, etc. of renowned personalities
Reverend KawaGuchi, the first Japanese to visit Nepal in 1899, Dr.
Toni Hagen, the well-known Swiss explorer and geologist, Kumar
Khadga Bikram Shah, who interpreted the vision of International
Mountain Museum, Dr. Harka Gurung, the renowned geographer,development partner, and conservationist of Nepal and DawaNorbu
Sherpa, a prominent contributor to the construction of the IMM insuch as Reverend KawaGuchi-Ekai Corner, Dr. Toni Hagen Corner,
Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah Corner, Dr. Harka Gurung Corner, andDawa Norbu Sherpa Corner respectively.

The dress, equipment, and photographs of famous South Korean
mountaineer Par Young Seok, the first Asian to summit all thefourteen 8000m peaks in the world, and the photographs of theSouth Korean record holder mountaineers have been displayed.

This section also displays the photographs of the first successful
ascents of all the 14 peaks over 8000m in chronological orderaccording to the year i.e Mt. Annapurna I (1950), Mt. Everest (1953),Nanga Parbat (1953), Mt. K2 (1954), Cho Oyu (1954), Makalu (1955),
Kanchenjunga (1955), Lhotse (1956), Gasherbrum (1956), BroadPeak (1957), GasgerBrum I (1958) and Shisha Pangma (1964). The
introduction of the summiteers is displayed on the panel boards.
The stamps with images of Mt. Everest issued by Nepal and othercountries of the world are also on display in this section.
Mountaineering Equipment Section
The necessary equipment and their uses while climbing mountains
are exhibited in the showcases.
Mountain Ecology/Environment Section
This section presents environmental information about themountain region. This section also exhibits the garbage collectedfrom Mt. Everest and Mt. Lhotse between 2000 and 2003 by thefamous mountaineer and environmentalist Mr. Ken Neguchi.
Imaging Everest Section
This section displays the photographs of the British expeditions
to Mt. Everest from 1921 until the successful expedition of 1953
presented to the IMM by the British Council and the Royal
Geography Society.

Climate Change Section
In this section, information is provided to the public with regard
to the effects of climate change through the means of photos andequipment.
This section is further divided into three parts:i) Air Sectionii) Water Sectioniii) Ice Section
Touch- Screen
There is a touch-screen that is the center of attraction for visitors.
The visitors can touch the screen which displays satellite imagesof settlements, glacial lakes, mountains, and surroundings of theHimalayan region. The visitors can observe the images of Mt.
Makalu, Mt. Everest, Upper Khumbu, and Lower Khumbu on thetouch-screen.

4.HALL OF TEMPORARY DISPLAY
In this hall photos are displayed only for short period of time.
Lakhang
A replica of Lakhang, a prayer room, has also been built.The Lakhang
helps those interested in internalizing the true sensitivity of theBuddhist prayer room. It is always open to offering prayersand
reflects the culture of the people living in the Himalayan region.

Yak Model
At the entrance of the museum, amodel of Yak attracts visitors.
Bouldering
IMM has a bouldering wall of 5
meter tall and interested climbercan enjoy up to 20 different
routes. NMA is the first institution
to promote sport climbing
activities in Pokhara through
Maurice Herzog Climbing Wall,which was later displaced bythis bouldering wall, hence, it isprobably the first bouldering wallof Pokhara.
Library
The IMM library to the right of the Lakhang Room has a large
collection of books on mountains, flora and fauna, mountainpeople, and mountaineering for the benefit of scholars, researchers,
and students.

Mt. Manaslu Model
The 31-feet high modelof Mt. Manaslu outside
the museum is anotherattraction for the visitors
to IMM.

Living Museum
The thatched huts, on the southeastern side outside the museum,
offer a glimpse of the typical Nepali mountain people’s village. It is alive museum where one can see people at work. In this village, local
or foreign visitors would find an equally interesting and homely
village atmosphere with all the originality and tradition. It has all
the indigenous crafts, culture, works, and activities both social andceremonial. The restaurant there serves various kinds of dishes
including Nepali delicacies.
Other Facilities
a. Conference hall with a capacity of 150 people.
b. Audio-Visual Hallc. The whole range of the mountains of this region- viewing
platform with wide glass windows.
d. Disabled- friendly

Facilities outside the Museum Building
a. Resting places, beautiful natural landscapes with floral,water, and rock garden, and beautiful thatched huts withgarden chairs for resting.
b. General VIP Parkingc. Outdoor washrooms at suitable places
d. Sheds for the visitorse. Mt. Manaslu Modelf. Souvenir Shop
g. Artificial climbing wall
Entry Fees
Student- Rs. 50
Nepali National- Rs. 100
SAARC National- Rs. 250
Other Foreign National- Rs. 500
Resident VISA- Rs. 250
Garden- Rs. 30
Music Video Shooting- Rs. 5000
Movie Shooting- Rs. 8000
Professional Photography- Rs.1000

International Mountain Museum
PO BOX no. 373, Ratopairo, Ghari Patan, Pokhara-17
Tel:- +977-061-450742, 452322, 452336, 450343
Email: ed@internationalmountainmuseum.org,
admin@internationalmountainmuseum.org,
www.internationalmountainmuseum.org

Nepal Mountaineering Association
P.O.Box:1435, Nagpokhari, Naxal
Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel:+977-1-4534525,4535442,
E-mail: info@nepalmountaineering.org
office@nepalmountaineering.org
Website: www.nepalmountaineering.org