Nepal: Justice Orders Limit on Everest Climbing Permits

On the roof of the world, it’s time for regulation. Nepal’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to limit the number of permits issued for climbing Everest and other Himalayan peaks, the lawyer who filed the petition told AFP.

“She ordered a limit on the number of climbers,” said Deepak Bikram Mishra, as Nepal begins the spring climbing season.

Nepal currently issues permits to anyone who wants to climb Everest and is willing to pay $11,000. Last year, 478 such benefits were provided, which is a record. The bearing capacity of mountainous areas “must be respected” and an adequate maximum number of permits must be determined, the Supreme Court ruled, according to a summary of its decision that did not provide any figures on the issue.

The ruling by Nepal’s highest court was handed down at the end of April, but a summary of it was only made public this week.

Waste management measures

Master Deepak Bikram Mishra explained to AFP that the Court was responding to public concerns about protecting nature in Nepal, home to eight of the planet’s ten highest peaks.

In addition to limiting the number of climbers, it recommended “measures for waste management and environmental conservation” in mountain areas, the lawyer stressed.

Every spring, when temperatures become milder and winds tend to be lighter, Nepal welcomes hundreds of adventure-seeking people to its mountains. A massive traffic jam on Everest in 2019 forced expedition members to wait for hours on Everest in extremely cold temperatures. At least four of the 11 deaths recorded that year were related to overcrowding.

“We are putting too much pressure on the mountain and we need to give it some breathing room,” concluded Deepak Bikram Mishra.