Nepal plans to grant Everest permits exclusively to climbers who have experience scaling at least one of the Himalayan nation’s 7,000-metre peaks, as detailed in a draft of a new law aimed at mitigating overcrowding and enhancing safety.
Heavily dependent on climbing, trekking, and tourism for foreign exchange, Nepal has been criticized for allowing an excessive number of climbers, including those with little experience, to attempt to summit the 8,849m peak.
This frequently leads to long queues of climbers in the ‘death zone,’ an area below the summit lacking sufficient natural oxygen for survival.
The issue of overcrowding has been attributed to the high number of fatalities on the mountain.
According to the proposed legislation, an Everest permit will only be issued once a climber can provide proof of having summited at least one 7,000m peak in Nepal.
Additionally, the sardar, or head of local staff, and the mountain guide accompanying climbers must be citizens of Nepal.
The draft law has been submitted to the National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, where the ruling coalition holds a majority necessary to pass the bill.
International expedition operators have urged Nepal to consider allowing any 7,000m peak, not just those within the country, for the Everest permit.
“That wouldn’t make any sense. I would also suggest including mountains close to 7,000 metres that are commonly used for preparation, such as Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, Denali, and others,” stated Lukas Furtenbach, an expedition organizer from Austria.
Currently leading an expedition on Everest, Mr. Furtenbach emphasized that guides from other countries should also be permitted to work on Everest due to a shortage of qualified Nepali mountain guides.
“It is crucial for mountain guides to hold qualifications like IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations), irrespective of their nationality. We also welcome Nepali IFMGA guides to work in the Alps in Europe,” he added.
Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering, a US-based company, also suggested that summiting a 6,500m peak anywhere in the world would be a more suitable requirement.
“Finding a reasonable 7,000-metre-plus peak in Nepal can be quite challenging,” he remarked.
An Austrian climber dies on a mountain in Nepal
In unrelated news, an Austrian climber tragically passed away while descending Nepal’s Ama Dablam after successfully reaching the summit, according to the country’s tourism department.
The climber has been identified as Martin Hornegger, 64, who went missing during his descent on Saturday morning after summiting the Himalayan peak.
“It has been reported that he fell while descending, and his body was subsequently discovered at the foot of the peak,” stated Himal Gautam, director of the Mountaineering and Adventure Tourism Section in the tourism department.
Mr. Hornegger was climbing the 6,812m Ama Dablam alongside his daughter and son-in-law through a local agency, according to officials.
His body has been transported to the capital, Kathmandu.
Ama Dablam, situated in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal, is a popular training peak for mountaineers preparing for Everest.
