[To discourage cost-cutting that can put climbers’ lives at risk, the ministry also said that clients of expedition companies would have to prove, before setting out, that they had paid at least $35,000 for the expedition. (A typical total price tag easily surpasses $50,000.)]
By Bhadra Sharma and Kai Schultz
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A
long line of climbers waiting to ascend Mount Everest in May. The spring
climbing
season was
one of the deadliest in years. CreditNirmal Purja/Nimsdai Project
Possible, via
Associated Press
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KATHMANDU,
Nepal — In an effort to
address deadly human traffic jams on Mount Everest and weed out inexperienced
climbers, Nepali officials on Wednesday formally proposed new safety rules that
could significantly reduce the number of permits issued for the world’s highest
peak.
Under the measures, would-be climbers would
have to prove that they have scaled another major peak, and tourism companies
would be required to have at least three years’ experience organizing
high-altitude expeditions before they can lead climbers on Everest, Nepal’s
tourism ministry said.
To discourage cost-cutting that can put
climbers’ lives at risk, the ministry also said that clients of expedition
companies would have to prove, before setting out, that they had paid at least
$35,000 for the expedition. (A typical total price tag easily surpasses $50,000.)
“Everest cannot be climbed just based on
one’s wishes,” Yogesh Bhattarai, the tourism minister, said at a news
conference. “We are testing their health conditions and climbing skills before
issuing climbing permits.”
The government plans to put the changes,
which have been under consideration for several months, before Parliament
before the start of next spring’s climbing season.
[This year was one of the deadliest climbing
seasons on Everest.]
The proposed rules were unveiled alongside
findings from a group of government investigators who uncovered alarming
problems in the management of Everest, which sits 29,029 feet above sea level
and is a significant source of revenue for Nepal.
The announcement came several months after
one of the deadliest Everest climbing seasons in recent years; at a few points,
hundreds of climbers waited in line on a steep ridge for hours to reach the
summit. Eleven climbers died, despite facing no major avalanche or earthquake.
Sherpa guides and industry experts blamed the
lines for at least some of the deaths. They said the situation resembled a
“Lord of the Flies” atmosphere, with people pushing and shoving to move past
crowds and struggling to descend quickly enough on the last 1,000 or so feet to
replenish their oxygen supply.
The government is now considering deploying
officials to help manage crowds, officials said.
There are currently no restrictions on the
number of climbers who can attempt the summit at a time. Expedition teams are
free to set their own timetable for the ascent, and many choose a narrow window
each May to avoid the mountain’s otherwise extreme weather and high winds.
The number of climbing permits has increased
nearly every year since the commercialization of Everest picked up in the
1990s. A record 381 were issued this spring season, which typically runs from
April to May, and that number does not include the several hundred Sherpa
guides and support staff.
On the northern side of the mountain, in
Tibet, stricter safety regulations are already in place. But until now, there
have been few limits on who can get a permit to climb Everest from Nepal.
Sherpa guides say that lower-cost operators
have recently drawn inexperienced climbers, including some who do not even know
how to use crampons, the clip-on spikes that increase traction on ice.
Under the new rules, permits will be issued
only to those who have climbed mountains higher than 21,300 feet, Nepali
officials said. The government is also considering requiring mandatory health
checkups at Everest Base Camp.
Nepal’s existing rules stipulate that all
climbers must submit a copy of their passport, limited biographical data and a
certificate showing that they are healthy enough to make it to the top. But
Nepali officials said it was difficult to verify health information before
issuing permits.
“This is all for ensuring a quality
expedition,” Ghanshyam Upadhyay, a member of the government team that looked
into safety on Everest, said of the planned regulations.
Even with the new rules, however, many
climbers said further improvements were needed. Last year, veteran climbers,
insurance companies and news outlets exposed a conspiracy by some guides,
helicopter companies and hospitals to bilk millions of dollars from insurers by
evacuating trekkers with minor signs of altitude sickness.
Climbers often complain of oxygen bottle
theft and piles of trash on Everest. And this year government investigators
uncovered problems with some of the oxygen systems used on the mountain.
Climbers said cylinders were found to be leaking, exploding or improperly
filled on a black market.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, a former president of
the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said that the government was moving in
the right direction with the new rules, but that enforcement in Nepal, where
government corruption and mismanagement is rampant, would be a significant
hurdle.
“Our primary focus should be on
implementation of the revised laws,” he said. “Challenges remain.”
Bhadra Sharma reported from Kathmandu, and
Kai Schultz from New Delhi.
