Rockclimbing
Big crowds expected on Mount Everest
Anyone who climbs Mount Everest in Nepal is no longer alone there. photo
© Rizza Alee/AP/dpa
The mountain giant continues to be very popular with adventurers. Even before the start of this year’s main season, several hundred registered for the climb. Is this due to the impending price increase?
So far, around 400 adventurers have booked a trip from Nepal to the “Roof of the World” with expedition companies, said the head of the tourism authority in Kathmandu, Rakesh Gurung, to the German Press Agency. Further reservations are expected to be added by early May.
Eight of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders are located in Nepal. Peak Everest season is in April and May, when weather conditions are most pleasant. Last spring, Gurung’s authorities issued a total of 478 adventurers from abroad with permits to climb the mountain. It costs foreigners 11,000 US dollars (around 10,000 euros), and next year the price is expected to rise to 15,000 US dollars.
Total costs for the climb: from 40,000 euros and up
This future price increase could contribute to the fact that a particularly large number of mountaineers want to reach the top this year, said the head of the Association of Nepalese Expedition Companies, Rishi Bhandari.
It is questionable how much $4,000 amounts to when a climb to Everest usually costs at least 40,000 euros per person – and often even twice as much. In addition to the official fee, this includes a local team of helpers who guide the foreign mountaineers, carry luggage and cook, as well as costs for accommodation, flights and equipment including oxygen cylinders.
“Rich people generally don’t mind spending a little more,” says Bhandari. “But many mountaineers are middle class people who simply love mountaineering and always want to save – even if it’s just a few hundred dollars.”