Kishor Neupane a.k.a Krish is seriously fond of strenuous traveling, trekking and mountain climbing. It has been more than 12 years since he has been in this trekking guide field. He has a very old hand for this profession and continues to serve our company as a highly qualified trekking guide while delivering his best.
Kishor Neupane is with us since the beginning of company’s establishment. We are very much proud to say that he is one of the best guides that we have. There is no hesitation in saying that he can provide good guidance in every moment throughout your entire traveling experience in Nepal. Kishor Neupane is also the recipient of Ace the Himalaya’s Leadership Award 2018.
Acknowledging his expertise, Kishor Neupane got license by the Ministry of Tourism in Nepal. He is extremely knowledgeable for most of the trip that Nepal can offer. He knows the trails from a short excursion to the long and challenging off the beaten track treks. Kishor Neupane also holds a High Altitude First Aid Certificate. He has dealt and solved many of emergency situation till now.
In this session of Mountain Stories, we talked to Kishor Neupane about his experiences in the Himalayas, his life as a guide of Ace the Himalaya, memories he has collected and the stories he has lived. Let’s see what he has to share with us.
What is a normal day like for you on a trek? “A day in the life of a guide”.
When I am at work, I normally wake up at 4 am in the morning. After freshening up, I do some exercise and stretching to be in a fit condition throughout the day. Then, I do a short preparation on the day’s schedule. After I am fully ready for the day, I go give my clients a wake up call.
We all gather at around 7/7:30 am for breakfast. While having our breakfast, I do a short briefing about the day’s plans and programs. I will explain them about what kinds of places we will be going, what different types of trails we need to go through and what might the weather condition be during the day. Before leaving the hotel at 08:30, I check all the rooms to make sure none of our clients have left things behind.
Once we hit the trails, we take a small tea break after every one hour. During the break, we discuss about the trails, scenery and other stuff. We have our lunch break from 11 am to 1 pm. I make sure every one of my clients are in good condition and are eating a good portion for the trek. I also remind them to drink more water to stay hydrated. I mainly check on each and every client to see if they are not feeling any sort of uneasiness.
Upon arriving at our destination, I check on each and every room for my clients to see if they are in proper condition. At night when we are having dinner, we discuss about tomorrow’s activities and programs.
Before going to bed I tell my clients to contact me in my room if they need any sort of help.
What is your favorite trekking route?
I don’t have a particular favorite trekking route. I am a person who loves nature. I am just happy to go to any kind of trekking spot. I have explored most parts of Nepal and still like to do more. Well, if I am to pick one route, I choose the trek that is difficult or the most challenging one. I
f there are any new routes available, I prefer that even more. Overall, I am happy to go to any trek as long as they are rich in Nature. I also have a keen interest in peak expedition.
What has been the most challenging moment for you as a guide?
It was in 2008, I was heading towards Everest Base Camp with my one client. After passing Gokyo, at Chol la pass region, a huge snowfall occurred which was about 1 or 2 feet. The fall was so big and huge that many of the trails were completely covered with snow. We were already on our way so we continued with the trekking.
Many of other trekkers either stopped or returned back because of the weather. I asked my client if we could stop for some time or continue with the trek. He chose to continue. The hard part was that we had to cross the glacier to reach the other side. It was quite risky but we crossed it anyways. Somehow we were the only one to reach to our destination that day.
To be honest we were quite lucky that we somehow survived the day. Every person that we meet said that we were out of our mind. We just got lucky that’s all. I didn’t had much experience back then and the client was also young and had never done trekking until that trip.
What is it like working for Ace the Himalaya?
It has been more than 12 years since I have worked here. I first started working here in 2007 as a porter. Till now I have no complaints about the workplace. The working environment is good and friendly. This company is like my second home. I have got many opportunities from working here. Even my colleagues are very friendly.
To be honest I am actually proud to work here. There are countless trekking agency throughout Kathmandu. Ace the Himalaya is one of the best that I have seen so far.
What do you like most about guiding?
I had never thought that I would make my career on guiding. Guiding is a decent job that pays well. The most important thing to me is that I can travel and explore nature in this job. I meet new people every time in every trek. I can share the knowledge in me with outsiders. Seeing the smile on their face when they see the beauty of our country is the most motivating thing to me.
I have always had a deep connection or relation with nature. Just seeing them makes me feel easy. I never get tired of exploring my own country. This is the reason on why I like guiding.
What is your most impressive climb?
I have gone on climbing expedition on both Island Peak (6,187 m /20293.36 ft) and Mera peak (6,654 m /21,825.12 ft). It was hard but I did it anyways.I know people have stepped on top of Mt. Everest. Comparing to it, this is nothing. But when I think of my achievement on climbing on those two peaks, I still feel proud about it. For me that is my most interesting climb till now.
I have a dream of going above 8000 m, and one day I would accomplish that as well.
Did the Earthquake affect your work?
The Earthquake that occurred in 2015 was very big. It was felt all over Nepal and even in India. The aftershocks were pretty big as well. All the bookings were instantly cancelled. Due to the cancellation, I did not work for almost 5 months. I went to my hometown Gorkha to help my relatives over there. After 4-5 months of the earthquake, bookings started to grow and I was back with my work.
Tell us about your family and home.
My hometown is actually in Gorkha, Arughat. Currently I am staying in Raniban, Kathmandu. Here I stay with my mother, my wife and I have one son. We are more than happy. My family keeps supporting me on my work. They are the main reasons for me to work hard.
