| Searching the Slopes | | | | minute. His reports give account of a human-like |
| It's not often that one gets to see the objects of | | | | creature walking upright and with no clothes. Later in |
| ancient myths, and how many people do you know | | | | the century, a man called Eric Shipton photographed |
| that have seen the Yeti, the Loch Ness monster or a | | | | some footprints in the snow, and some claim that |
| flying spaceship? But wouldn't it be an exciting addition | | | | these are the best supporting evidence documented |
| to a Himalayan tour, if you saw even the footprint of | | | | to date. |
| the Abominable Snowman? Since the 18th century, | | | | While on a Himalayan tour, British mountaineer Don |
| sightings of the Yeti have been reported by Himalayan | | | | Whillans claimed to have witnessed a creature walking |
| hikers, and many are convinced that this legend lives in | | | | near his camp. He watched the creature through |
| reality. | | | | binoculars for over 20 minutes, and was also able to |
| The Yeti, or Abominable Snowman as it is so often | | | | document footprints. Over 50 years later in 2007, |
| named, is said to be an Ape-like creature living in the | | | | television presenter Joshua Gates found footprints |
| Himalayan region of Tibet and Nepal. Adventurous | | | | while on holiday in the Himalayas. He arranged for |
| tourists on holiday in the Himalayas frequently roam the | | | | casts to be made of these 33cm long footprints. |
| mountains in search of this creature, but no conclusive | | | | These were then scientifically analysed, and it was |
| evidence has yet been found to confirm its existence. | | | | concluded that the footprints did not belong to any |
| Strange Sightings in the Snow | | | | known animal. |
| One of the first documented sightings of the Yeti was | | | | Possible Explanations |
| that of B. H. Hodgson in the early 19th century. The | | | | The question of the Yeti's existence has sparked |
| men that were guiding him on a Himalayan tour in | | | | widespread debate among scientists, biologists and |
| Nepal, spotted a tall, hairy, bipedal creature which fled | | | | tourists on holiday in the Himalayas. The fact is that no |
| from them in fear. Hodgson did not see the Yeti | | | | evidence has been found to conclude that the Yeti is |
| himself, but he took it upon himself to deem the animal | | | | real, but similarly experts cannot come up with a |
| an orang-utan. | | | | conclusive explanation for the many sightings. |
| Later in the century, in 1889, Laurence Waddell | | | | Some put it down to simple misidentification, claiming |
| documents seeing footprints in the snow in his book | | | | that it is nothing more than a Tibetan or Himalayan |
| Among the Himalayas. While he only saw footprints, | | | | bear. Some postulate that it could even be a human |
| his guides described sighting an ape-like creature near | | | | hermit! Another explanation is that it is a surviving |
| their camp. Applying similar thinking to Hodgson, | | | | gigantopithecus (an extinct species of ape). This |
| Waddell concluded that the creature was a bear. | | | | theory, however, is even more unlikely than the |
| While on holiday in the Himalayas, you could visit these | | | | existence of a mysterious beast, because it was a |
| regions known for their popular sightings, and possibly | | | | quadruped (an animal which naturally walks on all |
| see the footprints yourself. | | | | fours) and would have had great difficulty in walking |
| Reported sightings increased in the 20th century, | | | | upright. |
| because Westerners were determined to see the | | | | Whatever you believe, a holiday in the Himalayas might |
| creature for themselves, and so were going on holiday | | | | prove to have an exciting twist, and you could be |
| in the Himalayas and on Himalayan tours in the hopes | | | | converted into being an avid supporter of the |
| of spotting this mythical being. | | | | existence of the Yeti, if you see it one day on a |
| A Royal Geographic Society photographer, Tombazi, | | | | Himalayan tour. |
| claimed to have observed the creature for over a | | | | |