Nepal wants to limit the number of tourists who can climb Everest. What did they come up with there?

Nepal plans to issue permits to climb Everest only to climbers who have already climbed at least one other Himalayan mountain of a certain height.

Reuters reports this.

The country has been criticized for allowing many climbers, including beginners, to climb Everest, which is 8 849 meters high. This leads to long lines in the "death zone" — the area below the summit where there is a lack of oxygen.

Several deaths have been linked to this situation. At least 12 climbers died and five others went missing on the slopes of Everest in 2023, when Nepal issued 478 climbing permits. Last year, eight more tourists died.

The new law is intended to reduce overcrowding on the mountain and make climbing safer. The plan is to grant permission to climb the highest peak if a climber can prove that they have already climbed at least one other 7 000-meter mountain in Nepal.

The Sardar and the mountain guide accompanying the tourists will be required to have Nepali citizenship. The bill has been registered in the National Assembly, the upper house of parliament. The ruling alliance there has the majority needed to pass the document.

Nepal has more than 400 peaks open to expeditions, 74 of which are over 7 000 meters high. However, according to local officials, not all of these mountains are popular with tourists.

• In May 2024, Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government to limit the number of permits issued to climb Everest and other peaks. The ruling, in a summary, said that the carrying capacity of the mountains “must be respected”.

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