BE A CLIMATE HERO
The Kingdom of Bhutan is set to launch one of the world’s toughest and high-altitude ultra-marathons at unseen proportions of the eastern Himalayas. Snowman Race will span 5 days during which twenty-five of the world’s top extreme runners will attempt one of the most remote and challenging foot races ever initiated.
Running through 300KM (186 Miles) of Himalayan wilderness, with an average elevation over 14,000 ft (4267m) and multiple peak summiting 18,000 ft (5486m), the Snowman Race follows a historic high-altitude trekking route of Snowman Trek (which takes up to 25 days to complete) that has been conquered by fewer people than Mt. Everest.
The Snowman Race draws inspiration from the prescient wisdom of His Majesty the King on conservation of natural and cultural heritage. It aspires to bring the world’s attention to climate change, one of the defining issues of our time, and its impacts, particularly on the lives of people living in fragile mountain ecosystems.
In celebration of His Majesty the King’s 40th birth anniversary, the Snowman Race secretariat announced the holding of the Bhutan Climate Action Summit “Honoring Ecopreneurs and Climate Champions” to deliberate on bringing about bold and transformative changes through climate action, with emphasis on mountain ecosystems and gender. Emboldened by the Royal Vision, the first Snowman Race aspires to galvanize climate action starting at local levels.
300 KILOMETRES (186 MILES) OF HIMALAYAN WILDERNESS
Bhutan is gearing for the world’s toughest and most challenging Snowman Run, which will take place on 13th October this year, coinciding with the Royal Wedding Anniversary.
The Snowman Run is an ultra-marathon, challenging the world’s fittest and most elite runners to help raise awareness on the impacts of climate change.
The run, which will start from Gasa, will challenge the runners to cover over 300 kilometres in less than five days, taking them to altitudes 5,320 metres before ending in Bumthang.
The marathon will take runners across the breathtaking, pristine landscape of Lunana-lakes, glaciers, majestic mountains, shrubs, isolated villages and the highest place within the Himalayan mountain range.
The Run is emanated from His Majesty’s visit to the highlands with a goal to protect the natural environment and preserve the unique age-old culture and tradition of the highland communities, adversely affected by the climate change.
ULTIMATE RACE FOR CLIMATE ACTION
This race of a lifetime follows the trail of the famous Snowman Trek, which has been completed by fewer people than Everest. The audacious event appropriately turns up the heat, focused as it is on Climate Change.
The entire area through which the Snowman Race takes place, offers perfect snapshots of the effects of climate change- which are evident here in the receding glaciers. Bhutan is carbon negative- it is a net carbon sink, and yet the glaciers, which feed its rivers, irrigate agricultural lands of the over 60% farmers of Bhutan, and power its hydropower plants, are melting, rapidly. Glacial lakes are at a risk of breaching their ice-and-rock moraine walls, flooding the valleys below, and then disappearing. This beautiful and fragile land perfectly shows the far-reaching and irreversible impacts of climate change, and is a stark reminder of all that needs to be done to combat it.
Recent studies have shown that glaciers of the Himalayas are melting twice faster than in the 20th century and have no snow replacement taking place. Two-third of the glaciers are predicted to be gone by the turn of the century if we cannot reverse or halt the rising global temperature. It is not just about having a future with the Himalayas without its snow-caps; the rivers that flow down from these ‘Water towers of Asia’ are a lifeline for billions of lives downstream. Exacerbating the situation is the fact that this region contains some of the biggest populations in the world.
The Snowman Race challenges at once, the greatest athletes of our time, as well as world leaders and the global community to take bold and transformative actions that will avert the greatest crisis humanity has ever faced.
A unique 15 night enriching experience with a day Snowman Race in the Eastern Himalayas of Bhutan
For those who wish to learn the terrain in advance, the tour begins with Two night at Thimphu, before heading to Gangtey and clematises (2 night), back to Punakha (1nights), drive to Gasa (1night). Next day race starts (5 days) to Bumthang (2 nights) and fly to Paro (2 Night). In addition to the race, the tour includes sightseeing and a dramatic ascent to Tiger’s Nest monastery.
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Stay 15 night and receive one complimentary Bhutanese traditional Hot Stone Bath and Experience Bhutanese traditional Dress with 60 mints Bhutanese cultural show.