By Ciara Mina
In an effort to lower the number of fatalities, Nepal intends to limit trips to Mount Everest to climbers who have scaled at least one peak higher than 7,000 metres.
This aims to curb traffic, a rise in climber deaths, increase in the amount of garbage on the mountain as well as ecological deterioration.
The proposed bill
The upper house proposed the Integrated Tourism Bill which includes new rules for those wishing to climb Mount Everest.
Under the proposed rules, climbers must show proof of scaling a 7,000-metre mountain in Nepal before applying for an Everest permit, where a Nepali citizen must have acted as their sardar (head of local staff) and mountain guide.
Medical certificates issued within the last month from hospitals certified by the government will also be required.
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Furthermore, if a climber is attempting a record, they must notify the authorities beforehand.
Permits are non-transferrable, but will be valid for two years without refund if an expedition is cancelled because of natural disasters or other circumstances.
Additionally, for the first time in almost ten years, Nepal will raise the permit costs for climbing Mount Everest by 36 percent.
Nepal has previously attempted to change the rules on climbing the mountain.
Between 1995 and 1996, the government mandated that prospective climbers must first reach the summit of a 6,000-metre peak before attempting Everest.
However, that regulation was short-lived as foreign mountaineers and adventure companies put pressure on the government to back down as the number of climbers fell.
Previous incidents on the Mt. Everest
Nepal has come under fire for permitting too many novice climbers to ascend Everest.
More than 340 people have lost their lives while trying to ascend or descend Mount Everest as of 2024.
Despite not having the highest fatality rate, this makes it the peak with the greatest number of fatalities.
Because of the hazardous conditions on the mountain, more than 200 bodies have not been recovered, with some of them still being visible and serve as landmarks for the climbers.
Acute mountain sickness, falls, avalanches, exhaustion, crevasses, exposure and hypothermia are the most frequent causes of mortality on Mount Everest.
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