Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

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Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby Overlandman » Fri 14 Feb, 2014 6:45 pm

From ABC News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-14/n ... st/5261118

Nepal to reduce Mount Everest climb fees, aims to 'promote serious climbers'

Nepal will cut climbing fees for Mount Everest to lure more mountaineers to the world's highest peak, already overcrowded during the peak climbing season.

Hundreds of foreign climbers, each paying thousands of dollars, flock to the 8,850-metre Everest summit during the main climbing season stretching from March to May.

Under existing rules, Nepal charges $US25,000 ($28,000) per climber as a licence fee, or royalty.

But a group of seven people can secure a permit for $78,000, a practice officials say encourages climbers to form big groups.

Tourism ministry official Tilakram Pandey said each climber will be charged $12,000 from next year to end the practice.

"The change in royalty rates will discourage artificially formed groups, where the leader does not even know some of the members in him own team," Mr Pandey said.

"It will promote responsible and serious climbers."

He said the new rates will apply for the peak season on the Southeast Ridge, or South Col, route pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953.
Lower fees to encourage alternate routes

Permits for other routes and for the rest of the year, when the mountain is virtually deserted, will cost as little as $2,700 to encourage off-season climbing, officials said.

But experts said most mountaineers would still favour the spring season, because of warmer weather and more daylight, and the standard route.

Fees for hundreds of smaller peaks have also been changed.

Ang Tshering, who runs a hiking agency providing logistics to mountaineers, said incomes would not be affected as more climbers would be enticed to come despite the crowded mountain.

"Since more people will go to remotely located mountains, locals will get jobs and income," he said.

More than 4,000 people have climbed Mount Everest since the historic 1953 ascent. Nearly 250 have died on its slopes.

Climbing historian Elizabeth Hawley said Everest was "terribly crowded" during the peak season and allowing in those with no experience in serious climbing raised accident risks.

Sushil Ghimire, the tourism ministry's most senior official, said the government was considering regulations obliging aspirants to climb lower peaks before attempting Everest.

With the rise in the number of climbers, pollution concerns have also increased. But lower portions of Everest have undergone a clean-up as foreign and Nepali climbers have picked tonnes of discarded decades-old garbage - food cans, plastic, oxygen cylinders, torn tents, ropes and ladders, as well as human waste.

"There is still some garbage at higher altitudes and that is being collected by climbers during expeditions," said Dawa Steven Sherpa, whose expeditions have collected 15 tonnes of rubbish since 2008.

He said better management of routes - fixing separate ropes for ascents and descents, and spreading permits over time - had helped reduce crowding last year.

Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, has more than 2,000 Himalayan peaks and 326 are open to foreign climbers.

Mountaineering is an important component of tourism that makes up about 4 per cent of the impoverished nation's GDP.
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Re: Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby Jaala » Sun 16 Feb, 2014 3:11 am

Good for the locals yes. Personally I think people should have to apply to do the climb, and meet proven experience standards. I imagine the stress of ushering bunches of entitled foreigners with no qualification to be there other than their pockets up the mountain would be difficult to deal with. I don't think many people give any thought to the responsibility they are shoving on their guides. But that's just my opinion. I'd be happy just to visit the mountain.
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Re: Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby roysta » Sun 16 Feb, 2014 3:04 pm

Many serious mountaineers won't go near Everest. It's just a tourist event.
They can get into far more technical stuff elsewhere, for a lot less.
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Re: Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby radson » Sun 16 Feb, 2014 3:25 pm

Thats actually an increase in fees. No-one pays the single permit fee, everyone joins together on a permit.

I have always thought a better solution to overcrowding would be to increase the permit fee but give credits for climbing other nepalese peaks.

For example, have a fee of $30,000 for Everest standard SW route but if someone has climbed Ama Dablam and Baruntse, they get $10,000 off the price for each mountain up to a maximum of $25,000.

Its no use asking for experience etc as people would just embellish/lie to officialdom.
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Re: Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby Jaala » Sun 16 Feb, 2014 8:47 pm

radson wrote: Its no use asking for experience etc as people would just embellish/lie to officialdom.


I guess you're right :| I like your idea of crediting climbers.
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Re: Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby icefest » Sun 16 Feb, 2014 8:57 pm

radson wrote:For example, have a fee of $30,000 for Everest standard SW route but if someone has climbed Ama Dablam and Baruntse, they get $10,000 off the price for each mountain up to a maximum of $25,000.


That's actually genius.
Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful.
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Re: Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby radson » Sun 16 Feb, 2014 10:07 pm

Aww shucks

Here is my idea in more detail. Its good to have these whimsical ideas that lead to nothing.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=507172
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Re: Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby icefest » Sun 16 Feb, 2014 11:05 pm

Thanks,

My 2c:
The total cost of Other Peaks + Everest must still be more than just Everest. If not, you will just end up with fake summit attempts in order to get the cheaper price.
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Re: Reduced Fee Cost to climb Mt Everest

Postby radson » Sun 16 Feb, 2014 11:29 pm

Possibly.. but the only way to get the permit is to go to the Ministry in Kathmandu..and hey if you are in Nepal you might as well do some climbing while you are out there.
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