A major change to who gets to climb Mount Everest could be coming

Following years of concern over the amount of climbers attempting to scale Mount Everest, a sweeping change is on the horizon which will dramatically change who can step foot on the mountain in the future.As reported by The Telegraph, a “draft of a new law” suggests Nepal will issue Everest permits only to climbers with experience and proof of scaling at least one of the other Himalayan nation’s 23,000 foot peaks in the future.As a result, it will mean those who had the cash but lacked in experience to scale the 29,000 foot mountain will no longer be allowed access.The publication suggests that the aim of the law is simply to reduce overcrowding and improve safety overall on the world-famous peak.Overcrowding on the mountain has been blamed for the high number of deaths recorded over the past several years in particular.As reported by Reuters, at least 12 climbers died, and another five went missing on Everest’s slopes in 2023 when Nepal issued 478 permits.

Eight climbers died last year.The push behind the permits stems from Nepal’s heavy reliance on climbing, trekking and tourism which attracts significant foreign dollars to the region.However as a result, too many climbers try to surpass the summit and reach the peak.

This ever-growing number of people on the mountain has resulted in long queues particularly snaking through the notorious ‘Death Zone’ — an area below the summit with insufficient natural oxygen for survival.Sitting stationary (thanks to congestion) in this region has proved deadly.In 2019, a famous image circulated of an astonishing photograph taken at the summit during May’s climbing season, showing a massive queue of climbers desperate to get to the peak.While several factors contributed to the cluster of climbers, what worsened the situation was Nepal issuing a record number of permits for the trek on its side of the mountain.China, in comparison, caps permits on the Tibet side, which is also less popular as it’s considered...