Record number of climbers want to climb Mount Everest

In Nepal, at least 454 mountaineers have been given permission to climb the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. This is the highest number of permits ever issued in a single season for the 8,848-meter mountain, said the responsible tourism ministry in the capital Kathmandu. Such a permit costs USD 11,000 in Nepal, which is about 9,800 francs. One person usually pays about 40,000 to 100,000 francs for the entire expedition. This includes amounts for equipment, tents, domestic flights, food, oxygen tanks and a local support team.

In the current spring season, a total of 361 mountaineers and 93 mountaineers from 61 countries have received permits. Most came from China (96) and the US (87). Seven people from Germany would have received a permit. The spring season from April to June always attracts a particularly large number of mountaineers, as this is when there are the best “weather windows” for the ascent. The number of licenses applied for and granted is expected to increase.

In 2019, when traffic jams in Mount Everest’s so-called death zone made headlines, the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism had issued 381 permits. In the death zone at more than 8000 meters, the human body breaks down and cannot recover.

Mount Everest is located on the border between Nepal and China. In principle, you can climb the mountain from both countries. But from 2019 it was no longer possible for foreign mountaineers to come from China. Also in this spring season there are no corresponding permits from China, the founder of the Austrian expedition operator Furtenbach Adventures, Lukas Furtenbach, told the mountaineering news portal “Explorers Web”.

(yam/sda/dpa)