A Meeting With Mr.Bo Belvedere Christensen, Leader of the Kipling Travels Baruntse Expedition at EH
Mr.Bo Belvedere Christensen leader of the six member Kipling Travels Baruntse Expedition dropped in at Explore Himalaya on 16th April after an expedition briefing at the Ministry of Tourism. Along with him was the sirdar of the expedition Lhakpa Dorje Sherpa, an experienced climber who holds the record of climbing Mt.Everest without oxygen four times. Lhakpa was also the sirdar during the famous 1996 IMAX Everest Expedition 1996.

Mr. Christensen along with five other members of his team left for Lukla today. The group shall first do Mera peak as an acclimatization climb before ascending to the Baruntse Base camp.
The group had planned on climbing Shishapangma but had to cancel their plans at the last moment owing to political unrest in Tibet. Mr.Christensen was gracious enough to answer some of the queries put up by EH. Here we reproduce the excerpts of the short interview:

Q. Your group had planned on climbing Shishapangma but had to changed your plans at the last minute owing to disturbance in the Tibet. How do you feel about the change and are you happy with it?
Bo Christensen: Well, of course I would have liked to go to an 8000m peak and originally we had actually planned to go to Cho Oyu. But we had to cancel Cho Oyu as it was reported that it would be closed a long time and then we changed to Shishapangma. But Shishapangma too was closed. Lars asked me about Plan D, I think it was an emergency plan, which was to climb Baruntse, and I said that I have always wanted to climb Baruntse. So we got to choose a mountain that I wanted to go to anyway. Of course we would have liked climb the 8000 m peak but I find those in Nepal too difficult for the group. So we like to do a smaller mountain and Baruntse is quite a good goal, I think. I am very much looking forward to it. I think we would have a good climb there.

Q. After planning and preparing for the Shishapangma expedition for such a long time aren’t your members disappointed with the change of plans? How do they feel about climbing Baruntse?
Bo Christensen: I find that they are quite satisfied with the plan that we have set up for climbing Baruntse and doing Mera Peak on the way as an acclimatization trip. I think that they find this is a good plan and they feel happy about it. I think the challenge for them is quite big because because Baruntse seems to be a difficult mountain to climb on the technical side then the other mountains they have climbed before. So though it may be low Baruntse may be difficult and quite challenging to climb.

Q. Are you satisfied with the way the last minute preparation, with logistic arrangements made by Explore Himalaya?
Bo Christensen: Yes, I know it’s a tough job and I am satisfied with the preparations. I feel satisfied with the way you have arranged things at the last minute. I am very happy .It is a good job you have done out here. Everything is going the way we would have liked to.

Q. Are you confident with the team of Nepalese Sherpa climbers?
Bo Christensen: Yes, it’s a good team.

Q. Yours is one of the few expedition teams to have reached Nepal after the historic elections. How do you find Nepal at this moment?
Bo Christensen: Yes, its calm here and I hope that it would continue this way. I don’t know the outcome of the elections, how it will be, but I hope that it will work out fine. It seems quite cool. It is just as calm as it should be. I think people should come to Nepal.

Q. What message would you like to give to other people who plan to come here?
Bo Christensen : I think that it would be foolish to decide not to come here .Its safe and calm here in Nepal. Its nice here.