The chilling video of people stuck at Mount Everest has triggered a debate about the regulations and rules for climbing the world’s highest peak as people argue how such a huge number of people reached the top peak. Let us have a look in detail at the rules, and guidelines issued by the Nepal government and what measures should be taken at an individual level to prevent these crises from happening.
What happened at Mt. Everest?
The video shared by Indian mountaineer Rajan Dwivedi, which went viral shows queues of climbers stranded on their way to the peak. Hundreds of climber were stranded after British climber Daniel Paterson, 39, and his Nepali guide Pas Tenji Sherpa, 23 fell down the side of the mountain following a huge block of snow fell over a cliff on Tuesday.
They were with a 15-person group that had reached the top peak at 29,032 feet. They were still unaccounted for as of Saturday, according to the report. Climbing Mt. Everest is one of the most risky task that requires lots of experience and proper training. So far, at least 5 people have died while 3 are missing this season. Last year the death toll reached 18. Despite this, the craze for the summit is not decreasing.
How many climbers are allowed by the Nepal government in a season?
As Mount Everest is the tallest peak in the world with an altitude of 8,849 metres, there is always a low number of climbers. However, in past years there has been a surge. So far sphere is no restrictions from the Nepal government regarding the upper limit of mountaineers climbing Everest every season. But for an expedition, the authorities have set a maximum limit of 15 climbers.
However, any one mulling the summit must go through a proper registration channel and procure a permit for one month, which can be extended.
Evidently, Everest adventure is a source of hefty revenue for the Nepali government. The permit fee for foreigners is $11,000 which generated a revenue of $4.86 million in 2023. In 2023, the number of permits issued were 454 while this year 900 permits have been issued.
Nepal government’s rules for mountaineers
- One should be at least 18 years of age to get permit for the ascent to Everest.
- All climbers seeking to climb Mount Everest must have previously climbed a Nepalese mountain with a height of 21,325 ft (6,500 m) or higher.
- Nepal requires that all climbers purchase rescue insurance.
- Climbers must be accompanied by a guide at all times – no solo climbs.
- People over the age of 75 are banned from climbing.
- Nepal proposes to keep a tab on new rules and regulations as it also enacts these as law quite abruptly without much notice.
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