Nepal to restrict Mt Everest permits to only those who have already done 7,000m climbs

Nepal plans to restrict Everest expeditions to experienced climbers above 7,000 meters to reduce deaths and pollution.

Nepal is planning to restrict expeditions to Mount Everest only to those mountaineers who have climbed at least one peak above 7,000 metres aimed at reducing deaths in the high altitude zone, a media report said.

Why is climbing Mount Everest so dangerous?

Ever since New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepal’s Sherpa Tenzing Norgay summited the 8,849 metres (29,032 feet) high Mt Everest, popular as Sagarmatha in Nepali, on May 29, 1953, thousands of climbers from all over the world, including India and Nepal, have been attracted to the highest peak in the world.

Official data shows that since 1953’s Hillary-Norgay summit, around 9,000 mountaineers have successfully scaled Mt Everest while over 300 have lost their lives.

“The 8,848.86-metre Everest is about to get a stricter gatekeeper. No longer will just any climber with ambition and a permit be able to attempt the world’s highest peak. A new draft law says: 'Prove yourself first'.

Nepal hikes Mount Everest climbing fee by 36%

“According to the Integrated Tourism Bill registered in the upper house of Parliament on April 18, any climber wishing to set foot on Everest must first have conquered a mountain over 7,000 metres,” The Kathmandu Post said.