WORLD NEWS | Roughly 500 climbers may attempt Everest this season

Kathmandu [Nepal]April 8 (ANI): Everest clearances for the spring climbing season may be higher than expected, but a resurgence of coronavirus infections, erratic weather and overcrowding with new climbers could ruin the season, expedition organizers in Nepal say. Mountaineering season, Kathmandu Post reports.

According to the company, booking trends and inquiries indicate that nearly 500 climbers may attempt to summit the world’s tallest mountain this season, which begins in the second week of May.

Read also | South Korea reports the first possible community transmission of Mpox.

Concerns have also grown over a possible repeat of past Everest overcrowding.

In 2021, the Ministry of Tourism of Nepal issued a record 409 Mount Everest climbing permits. That number dropped to 325 in 2022 as the Russia-Ukraine war prevented would-be climbers from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and some European countries from traveling to Nepal, the Kathmandu Post reported.

Read also | British woman discovers alien creature on West Sussex beach.

“Since China instituted a new rule requiring its citizens to climb the 8,000-meter mountain before attempting Mount Everest, Chinese climbers are likely to come to Nepal in droves,” said Seven Peaks Trekking, Nepal’s largest expedition organizer. Mingma Sherpa, chairman of the traveling team, said.

“We expect the number of climbers to increase to close to 500 this spring.”

Seven Summit Treks says it has received more than 100 confirmed reservations.

On March 15, China lifted the three-year restrictions and re-allowed its citizens to visit Nepal. But Beijing has not opened Mount Everest to foreign climbers for the fourth year in a row.

Entrepreneurs in the tourism industry said the revised policy during Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering season could bring huge business opportunities to Nepal’s tourism industry, Kathmandu Post reported.

They also expect the number of climbers to increase to nearly 500, said Bigyan Koirala, an official at the Ministry of Tourism’s Mountaineering Division.

“Based on the current trend of applications, the number of Chinese climbers alone may exceed 100,” he said.

Hordes of adventurers once again set foot on the Khumbu region with new hopes, dreams and enthusiasm. They have spent millions of rupees to achieve their goal, but the question remains whether climbing Everest will be safer this year.

Tourism Ministry director Surya Prasad Upadhyay said they had formed a nine-member committee to assist the climbers. The team will also monitor activities at the base camp, the Kathmandu Post reported.

“In addition to the liaison officer, we will also send team members to the base camp.”

Upadhyay said the department was coordinating with the Meteorological Department to provide weather data.

“We have been assured that the department will provide us with weather information at least three days before any climb begins.”

In May 2019, photos of a line of climbers waiting to reach the summit went viral. Industry insiders say something similar could happen again this season.

“We can’t rule out traffic jams on Everest. It depends on the weather. If the window of good weather is long, the queues on Everest will obviously be short,” Koirala said.

“But to avoid prolonged exposure to high altitudes, expeditions may implement a quota system – a fixed number of climbers on a given day.”

He said it was up to expedition organizers to manage the crowds.

The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Board, an agency authorized to install ropes and ladders at Everest Camp 2, said on its Facebook page that its team of “glacier doctors” had completed the trek from base camp to Camp 2 via the Khumbu Glacier. route preparations. The Kathmandu Post reported on Thursday.

Imagine Trek and Expedition Nepal winning the bid to prepare a route from Camp 2 to the summit.

Mingma G, General Manager of Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition, said: “Our route determination team leader Dawa Kyabje Sherpa went to the base camp on April 5th to prepare the route.”

“We had 30 confirmed Everest bookings this spring, up from 12 last spring. We closed bookings in February,” Mingma G. said.

As of April 7, the Tourism Bureau has issued 178 Mount Everest climbing permits and collected a fee of US$1.84 million.

Normally, permits are issued until the end of April.

According to Mingma G, there may be a record number of climbers this season, but the weather patterns are not looking good. He said Annapurna and Manaslu continued to receive heavy snow even in spring after a dry winter. According to the Kathmandu Post, expedition organizers said the fresh snow was dangerous.

Avalanches can happen at any time, but the risk increases when fresh snow falls on an already compacted snow base. The new snow becomes unstable, triggering avalanches.

“Last Monday, strong winds blew away tents at Everest Base Camp. The weather has been bad since the beginning of the climbing season,” Mingma G. said.

Kamilita Sherpa, who plans to climb Mount Everest for the 27th time this season and break the previous record, said: “There is still a month to climb Mount Everest commercially, and we hope that snow will not be a problem.”

“Obviously, there are risks. If snow falls on the mountains during the expedition, there could be an avalanche,” said Kami Rita, who led the Chinese expedition in May.

There are also concerns about the spreading coronavirus.

On April 1, the Nepal Tourism Bureau issued regulations requiring hikers to be accompanied by a guide. But local authorities in the Everest region have not enforced the rule, and hordes of trekkers have been heading to the Khumbu region alone, according to the Kathmandu Post.

The cost of an Everest climbing permit is US$ 11,000 for foreigners and Rs 75,000 for Nepalese. Climbers pay between $50,000 and $90,000 to climb Mount Everest. An experienced mountain guide can earn as much as $12,000 during the 45-day Everest climbing season, which typically has a two-week window of good weather each year.

Regular or beginner guides can earn $7,000 per season, while high altitude movers can earn up to $4,000 per season. Even porters earn five times more than the average Nepalese. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)