Nepal delays introducing new safety rules for Everest climbers

STRICTER safety rules designed to avoid a repeat of a chaotic traffic jam at the summit of Mount Everest will not be imposed before hundreds of climbers again attempt the summit this year.

Robust rules to ban inexperienced climbers and curb unpractised tour operators will not be in force before this spring’s climbing season starts in April.

The clampdown had been proposed after last spring’s season, when 11 climbers died and a photograph of a traffic jam of climbers waiting for the summit highlighted overcrowding on the 8,848m (29,030ft) peak.

Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, the secretary of Nepal’s tourism ministry, told The New York Times that the rules had yet to be approved by government offices.

The delay has raised suspicion that officials are concerned about losing lucrative climbing permits from bumper numbers of climbers attempting the world’s tallest peak. Permits bring in around £8,400 per climber to one of Asia’s poorest countries.

Santa Bir Lama, the president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said: “If something goes wrong, the tourism minister should be personally responsible.”

He went on: “Nobody wants to come to Nepal to die.”

Everest last May saw a run on its upper reaches as climbers thronged the top during a break in the weather.

Seven climbers died in a single week, with several reported to have perished from the rigours of high altitude as they waited for their spot on the summit. One day 200 to 300 climbers were trapped in a pile-up below the summit.

Climbing groups had suggested the government restrict climbing permits and ensure the tour operators were well qualified.

Mountaineering has become a lucrative business for Nepal since Edmund

Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of Everest in 1953.

Nepal last year issued a record 381 permits costing $11,000 (£8,400) each for the spring climbing season. With each climber normally accompanied by at least one Sherpa guide, the mountain had been predicted to see more than 750 climbers treading the path to the top. At least 140 others have been granted permits to climb from the northern side in Tibet.