Nepal Bans Solo Expeditions To All Mountains Above 8,000 Metres

Nepal has officially banned solo expeditions to all mountains above 8,000 metres, including Mount Everest, by amending its mountaineering regulations, according to the government publication Nepal Gazette. The sixth amendment of the mountaineering regulation was released late on the evening of February 4, after which climbers were banned from solo expeditions in all the 8000-er peaks.

As per the new regulations, every two members of a mountaineering team must be accompanied by at least one altitude worker or mountain guide. This rule applies to all mountains above 8,000 metres, including Mount Everest, and comes into effect from September 1 this year.

“When climbing a mountain peak with an altitude of more than eight thousand metres, every two members of the mountaineering team must be accompanied by at least one altitude worker or mountain guide, and when climbing other mountains, the mountaineering team must take at least one mountain guide with them,” the provision states.

What This Means For Mountaineers

With the new regulation in effect, the solo climbing era has formally ended, as the Nepalese government is determined not to let anyone go solo to the mountain regardless of experience. This applies to alpine-style and expedition-style climbers as well.

The change has also formally publicised the hike in royalty fees for foreign climbers attempting to summit Mount Everest from the standard south route in spring to USD 15,000 (INR 1.3 million) per person. The cost of the spring season expedition—which sees a high influx of climbers in the Himalayan nation from March to May—previously used to be USD 11,000 (INR 963,136). The new regulation has also increased the climbing royalty for the autumn season, which runs from September to November, to USD 7,500 (INR 656,683) from the existing USD 5,500 (INR 481,568).

Similarly, the winter expedition, which runs from December to February, and the monsoon season from June to August have also been revised to USD 3,750 (INR 328,341) from the existing USD 2,750 (INR 240,784).

The updated provision also incorporates revised fees for other 8000-ers. The royalty of the spring expedition has increased by nearly twofold from USD 1,800 (INR 157,604) to USD 3,000 (INR 262,673). The autumn fee now stands at USD 1,500 (INR 131,336) from the existing USD 900 (INR 78,802), while the winter and monsoon expedition has become dearer as it has been revised from USD 450 (INR 39,401) to USD 750 (INR 65,668).

With regards to Nepali climbers, the royalty for normal routes in the spring season has doubled from NPR 75,000 (INR 46,853) to NPR 150,000 (INR 93,706). In 2015, the country revised the royalty fee by switching from a group-based system to a uniform fee of USD 11,000 (INR 963,136) per climber for Everest's spring season via the normal route.

Additional Measures

Family members of climbers, guides and high-altitude base camp workers are now also banned from the base camps. In case of prior approval from the tourism department, family members can be exempted for a stay at the base camp not exceeding two days, the new regulation states.

In addition to this, the new regulatory measures have assigned high-altitude guides to “self-declare” their clients’ successful summit of the peak. To prove a successful summit, the expedition organisers and liaison officers have been mandated to submit original photos that clearly show the climber's face. In order to establish the authenticity of the successful summit, the photo must have mountain ranges in the background, which is the new eligibility criteria to receive an Everest climbing certificate.

The revised regulatory provision has also increased the daily allowance for liaison officers and the daily wages of high-altitude guides and base camp workers that are paid for by climbers. In an attempt to curb pollution in the mountains, climbers from this year's spring season have to bring their waste mandatorily, including human waste, back to base camp for proper disposal. Climbers are also required to carry biodegradable bags for waste collection in the upper reaches.

Nearly 8,900 people have summited the world's highest peak from the Nepali side since 1953.

(With inputs from a news source)