The Nepali duo received around 72,000 internet votes to pip several other adventurers from across the world, according to the National Geographic website. [break]
They had climbed the world´s highest peak and launched a paraglider on May 21 last year flying for as long as possible. They had then bicycled to a point where streams gathered into rivers, kayaked across the Nepali border into India, and paddled the Ganges River all the way to the Indian Ocean on June 28 during the expedition that was also referred to as ´Summit to Sea´.
Sherpa, 39, and Sunuwar, 28, had paraglided for 12 days and kayaked for 28 days during the expedition.
The duo is happy after receiving the international accolade. “We feel that this will help make Nepal popular as an extreme adventure destination,” Sunuwar told Republica. “This award will further encourage us for more daring feats,” he added.
National Geographic had nominated the duo in November, 2011 with other nine contenders for the award.
“Their Ultimate Descent expedition to climb Everest, paraglide down, and paddle to the sea truly embodies the spirit of adventure. With borrowed gear and a bare-bones budget, there were no corporate sponsors nor social media campaigns, just the essentials for adventure-vision, creativity, and friendship,” National Geographic was effusive in the pair´s praise.
“The Ultimate Descent team earned recognition from the international paragliding community, and the Nepali press hailed them as national heroes. Western adventurers admired their spunk, simplicity, and bare-bones budget,” it added.
Two National Geographic journalists had reached Pokhara a week ago to shoot a documentary of the daring duo. “We think that they will also show our documentary in the National Geographic channel,” Sunuwar hoped.
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