Tul Singh Gurung “Tulsi”

About Tul Singh

I was born on the 21^st of September 1983 in Larpak village, Gorkha District, Gandaki Province of Nepal which stands at an elevation of 2100 m from sea level and it is situated in the west-central part of Nepal. Now known as the 2015 epi center of the earthquake as well. My village is in the shadow of the Boudha Himal part of the Nepal Himalayas.

Right after completion of High School at my village Laprak, I tried to get into the Gurkha Army. I tried twice but didn’t get selected because of tough selection criteria and limited open spots. Then some of my village relatives were involved within the tourism business as trekking and mountaineering guides. I came to Kathmandu in 2001 and worked as a porter twice at the beginning then assistant guide for one year, couple years as a trek guide and assistant mountain guide while at the same time working on my mountaineering training: Basic Mountaineering Course and Advance Mountaineering Course. Since the age of 15, I wanted to do extraordinary activities and adventure. During the spring of 2008, I completed an Everest Summit and Mountaineering Instructor certification from Chamonix, France. After that, I taught mountaineering training and guided while preparing for the full Mountain Guide certification. I received my IFMGA Mountain Guide certification in 2011 from Nepal.

Career Background

With many years of experience as a Mountaineering Professional, I’ve used my experiences and knowledge to guide various adventure groups and assisted them to successfully complete many expeditions in the Himalaya. Because of my high interest in outdoor activities, I’ve been focused on acquiring trainings and courses related to hill walking, rock climbing and mountaineering. 16 years of experience in the guiding industry has taken me all over the Himalaya, Europe, Alps, and North America for mountain guiding.

Currently I’m holding the position of Training Director/Instructor at Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Guide Teacher & General Secretary at Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA), Instructor/Member at Nepal Mountaineering Instructors Association (NMIA), and professionally working as a freelance mountain guide. I’ve worked as a mountain guide with Mountain Madness, Gorkha Adventure, Churen Himal Treks and now actively working as an instructor for indoor/outdoor rock climbing, winter ice, alpine climbing and mountain guide training. Some times I work as a route setter during indoor wall climbing competitions and equipped many routes on the outdoor wall at Bimalnagar, Hattiban.

During my guiding and independent climbing ventures within the mountains, I’ve gained enormous experience in alpine peak climbing and high altitude mountaineering experience in the Himalaya, Europe and North America. I’ve reached the summit of mountains ranging from 4000 m to the world’s highest mountain, including two summits on Mount Everest, one summit on Cho-Oyu, and several 6000 m and 7000 m alpine peaks including Ama Dablam 6812m 5 times in Nepal Himalaya.

Several peak ascents in Alps include Mount Blanc 4810 m and Blanc du Tacul 4248 m in France. Castor Peak 4200 m and Ganjourush 4400 m in Italy. Mount Elbrus 5642 m in Russia and Mount Sudarshan Parbat in India. Lastly, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and Mount Olympus in North America.

Treatment Procedure and Recovery Plan

Sometime ago, I was in the Himalaya conducting a Basic Mountaineering Course with the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) as the training coordinator. Suddenly, I felt massive pain in my right ear and I was rushed back to Kathmandu to check the problem. My doctor identified it as an infection in my ear and I had to go through an operation to cure the problem. But after the operation, I did not feel better and the pain was still there and annoying me. After the follow-up with my doctor, I came to know that my ear was worse and I had to undergo another complicated operation to cure the problem. The situation landed me in a very tense condition which led to a huge economic crisis because due to my ear problem I had to sit at home and could not engage in any job that would feed me and my family. At that time, I remembered the Kees Brenninkmeyer Foundation whom I could rely on. When I shared my problem with them and completed my application, they instantly found me eligible for financial assistance to seek additional medical treatment for my ear. With their financial support, I underwent another medical operation, Modified Radical Mastoidectomy (MRM) and now my ear is totally cured. Now I’m healthy and back to my mountaineering profession.

Testimonial

"I'm busy with planning and managing the upcoming mountaineering tourism season of autumn in Nepal. I'm eagerly committed to continue my mountaineering profession after a short pause. Sometime before, I had a serious health problem with my ears. I didn't know whether I could continue my profession as a Mountain Guide. With the financial assistance from the Kees Brenninkmeyer Foundation, I am really grateful for their generous support as I can now continue my career within the mountains. Thanking you!!! "

- Tul Singh Gurung “Tulsi”