Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) has planned to send candidates for Mount Everest expedition next year after a three-year hiatus.

The premier Jamshedpur-based adventure outfit could not find a suitable candidate for the expedition in 2019 while the Covid-19 pandemic did not allow the journey to go ahead the following year. TSAF is not keen to send any climbers this year too as it needs adequate time for training and preparing them.

Sources revealed that the authorities have already zeroed in on Asmita Dorjee for the Everest trip. The 37-year-old is a senior instructor with the TSAF.

TSAF's senior manager Hemant Gupta confirmed that the expedition to the 29,029 ft peak has been planned for 2022. "We have already selected Dorjee for the expedition. We have planned the Everest expedition next year. We may select one or two more candidates for the same," he added.

Gupta, who scaled the Everest in 2017, added the expedition would not be possible this year since adequate time would be needed to train and prepare the climbers. "The Everest expedition usually takes place in May and we have very less time to train the candidates now. Though Dorjee is there on the expedition list, we have to scout for one or two suitable candidates also. But we would be having ample time at our disposal if we organise the trip next year. We would start training the candidates in due course of time as things have now started opening after the pandemic," he added.

According to him, plans are also afoot to organise a Trans-Himalayan expedition later this year. "This expedition would be led by Bachendri Pal. We have plans to conduct the same sometime this year," Gupta added.

A TSAF official said on condition of anonymity that Everest-bound candidate (read Dorjee) would also be a part of the Trans-Himalayan expedition. "The Trans-Himalayan expedition would keep Dorjee in good stead from a training point of view. Moreover, she would be under the guidance of Bachendri Pal, who has mentored candidates like Hemant Gupta, amputee Arunima Singh, Swarnalata Dalai, Sandeep Tolia and Poonam Rana to name a few from the TSAF stable," he added.

Bachendri Pal, a Padma Bhushan and the first Indian woman to annex the Everest in 1984, scouts, selects and trains the Everest-bound candidates.

Expedition to the Everest requires lots of logistical issues and one needs proper preparations for the same. "Usually, we send two-three candidates for the expedition. So far, only one (Dorjee) has been picked. We are looking for suitable candidates to add to the number. So time becomes a vital factor. The Everest expedition has been planned for next year keeping the time factor in mind," another TSAF official said.