For the first-time visitor (and, I can assure you, for the repeat visitor as well), a trip to Nepal can be an overwhelming experience. Jet lag and culture shock, thin air and smog, streets with no names and gods with many names all conspire to confuse, challenge, and astound visitors to this Himalayan kingdom. Before you immerse yourself in the cultural crossroads that...
Burma or Bust A half-mad dash to Hkakabo Razi seemed like a good idea at the time. And hey, how tough can it be to sneak past the Chinese Army? Source: Outside
Rain of Shadows Accompanying Outside’s behind-the-lines special report on Nepal’s Maoist insurgents (“The Last Days of the Mountain Kingdom,” by Patrick Symmes, September) is this haunting photograph by longtime Kathmandu photojournalist Thomas Laird. Here, in an exclusive account, Laird offers an equally haunting first-person look at the most extraordinary 24 hours in Nepal’s recent history—and his own thoughts for what this storm-wracked kingdom has in store. Source: Outside
Mountain Madness Remember the lessons of Everest 1996? Nobody else seems to. The world's highest peak is more crowded than ever—and ripe for a deadly reckoning. Source: Outside
He Ain't Your Sherpa There's nobody more qualified to drag you to the top of the world than Babu Chiri Sherpa. And he'll gladly do it. But when he's through, he's got some business of his own to attend to. Namely, obliterating every last climbing record on Everest, shattering the myth of his people as high-altitude baggage handlers, and taking the Sherpa brand global. Source: Outside
Base Camp CONFIDENTIAL An oral history of Everest's endearingly dysfunctional village Source: Outside
Dead Weight When our man dons a tumpline and dhoko for a five-day trek in the Himalayas, he discovers two things: Nepali porters may be the toughest workers in the universe, and there's simply no way he can measure up Source: Outside
Shouldering the Load Out of Bounds columnist Eric Hansen found out firsthand what it takes to be a Himalayan porter in the June feature story, "Dead Weight." Here, listen to Hansen read his story and see a gallery of his photos from the trip. Source: Outside
Pax Himalaya A tourism industry hobbled by years of civil war and political instability looks to rebound as Nepal makes moves toward a lasting peace. Is it finally safe to go back? Source: Outside
The Light of Seven Mountain Suns Surrounded by the beauty of the world's highest range, thousands of people live without sight. The Himalayan Cataract Project is curing blindness—literally overnight—in the most remote villages of Nepal and India. And, hey, as long as you're performing mass miracles, why not run up a 21,000-foot peak? Source: Outside
