Sigah Set to Reach the Roof of the World

7 October 2025

KOTA KINABALU: The sigah, a traditional headgear synonymous with the Kadazandusun community of Sabah, is set to gain international exposure among the world’s highest peaks.

This is the aspiration of four Sabah-born mountaineers who will join an eight-member Malaysian expedition to the Mount Everest Base Camp at Kala Pathar from 6 to 21 October.

The climbers,Darlien Appolonius (50), Stanley Catherinus (45), Shyril Gerald Peter (34), and Dufy Robert (29), all from Papar, will attempt to reach the 5,644-metre base camp on the Nepalese side of the Himalayas, where they plan to capture a historic photograph featuring the sigah.

Prior to their departure, the team paid a courtesy call on Datuk Seri Panglima Yong Teck Lee, Chairman of state-owned POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd, a co-sponsor of their participation in this remarkable expedition.

They were given a warm send-off at Kota Kinabalu International Airport on 6 October 2025 by POIC Sabah officials.

“We look forward to seeing them reach Kala Pathar and creating lasting memories of our traditional headgear among the rooftops of the world. POIC’s support for this expedition reflects our shared spirit of pushing boundaries and going beyond limits,” said Lynette Hoo, Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer of POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd.