Climbing Mount Everest via China and Tibet is about to become possible for foreign mountaineers again, with Chinese authorities set to start issuing permits for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
China Tibet Mountaineering Association
No official announcement has been made but veteran climber Adrian Ballinger is due to lead a group ascent this spring, taking Tibet’s northern route to the summit in the narrow climbing window at the end of April and beginning of May.
Ballinger has said that in the absence of an advertised opening, the signal that permits will once again be available from China will be when the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) releases its price list for the season. This catalogue will detail how much climbers will need to pay for their trip’s necessities, including travel between the Tibetan capital, Lhasa and Base Camp, as well as local guides, translators and even yaks (which carry loads up the mountain).
Olympic flame chaos
Mount Everest, known as Qomolangma in China, has more frequently been conquered from the Nepal side in recent years, partly due to China’s strict pandemic lockdown rules. The other part of the reason goes back further, to 2008, when, with only eight days’ notice, China shut down the route to allow the Olympic flame to visit the mountain. That closure caused chaos for climbing groups ready for their expeditions. As a result, the northern route became seen as unreliable and mountaineers switched to the Nepal side.
“In 2008, just eight days before our planned arrival on the mountain, authorities closed Mount Everest for the entire season, resulting in significant financial losses for many individuals. As a consequence of this decision, the climbing business shifted towards the Nepali side,” Ballinger noted.
Northern route is believed safer and cleaner
While the Nepal route is now better known and more photographed, it is also more impacted by the toll of human traffic, with erosion, pollution, human waste and safety causing significant concern. Contrasting with this, the Chinese and Tibetan route is now less crowded and was cleared of around six tons of waste during the pandemic shutdown. It has also traditionally been thought of as the safer route and, as a result, is Ballinger’s preferred approach.
In 2019, 362 people made attempts on Everest from the northern side, and 241 of them succeeded in summiting. This year, up to 300 permits will be issued to non-Chinese climbers, who are also required to have a Chinese visa as well as a separate visa for the semi-autonomous region of Tibet.
