Ice & Rock Festival in memory of Tenzing Norgay, Ang Rita Sherpa KATHMANDU:Thamichhowa Youth Group and Yambu Thamichho Kydug are jointly organising the first Thamichho Ice & Rock Festival from January 22 to 29 at Hungo in the Mt Everest region. Both Thamichhowa Youth Group and Yambu Thamichho Kydug are non-profit organizations of Thamichho valley which have been established with the aim of uniting Thamichho people to develop the region in education, health, sports, culture, and various other sectors. The festival will witness the participation of four aspirant mountain guides from Kathmandu and twenty-five local mountaineers from Thamichho valley. World renowned mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa who has held the record for most ascents on Mt Everest, along with seniors mountaineers from Thamichho valley will attend the opening ceremony of the festival, according to Mingma Sherpa, chairperson at Yambu Thamichho Kydug. The main objective of the festival is to promote the valley as well as remember legendary mountaineers from the region -- Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, first ascender of Mt Everest and Ang Rita Sherpa, also known as the snow leopard, person to climb Mt Everest most without supplementary oxygen, Sherpa added. Giving the basic knowledge of ice and rock climbing to local mountaineers and making them familiar with ice and rock is are the objectives of the festival. The festival will be held at Hungo in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality 5 where four different ice walls are located, and Samde where one rock wall is located, Sherpa added. The festival will be inaugurated by president of Thamichhowa Youth Group Pasang Diki Sherpa and Yambu Thamichho Kydug president Mingma Sherpa. The guest of honour will be Kami Rita Sherpa, who has summited Everest 24 times.