Nepal is about to introduce a major change to its mountaineering regulations: a new law that will require climbers to have summitted at least one 7,000-metre peak within Nepal, before receiving a permit to attempt Mount Everest, in an attempt to curb overcrowding, improve safety, and protect the fragile Himalayan environment.
Gone will be the long queues witnessed in recent years for the selfie atop the world’s highest peak, for if it has not been documented, has it really happened?
The shift is significant for a country heavily dependent on tourism, which trekking as one of its major attractions, bringing in both foreign currency and hard cash. Permits to climb Everest – costing about €14,000 – along with climbers’ other spending, represent a key source of revenue for Nepal, which boasts 14 of the world’s highest mountains. In January, Nepalese authorities announced that from September 2025, they would increase the fee to climb the Everest by 36%.
The Integrated Tourism Bill, read on 18 April in the Parliament seeks to reduce overcrowding, enhance safety, and address ecological issues such as pollution and waste. In recent years. In recent years, has seen growing crowds of amateur climbers, leading to dangerous bottlenecks in the so-called ‘Death Zone’, an area just below the summit where oxygen for survival is insufficient. Overcrowding has been blamed for a rise in accidents and death, while human waste and discarded equipment have left an environmental toll.
If passed by the National Assembly, the new law would require anyone wishing to climb Everest to present a certificate proving they have already climbed a 7,000-metre peak in Nepal – a move likely to reduce the number of applicants.
This provision has already drawn criticism from international expedition organisers. ‘That wouldn’t make any sense. And I would also add mountains that are close to 7,000 metres to that list and that are widely used as preparation, like Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, Denali and others,’ said Lukas Furtenbach of Austria-based expedition organiser Furtenbach Adventures.
U.S.-based Madison Mountaineering Garrett Madison echoed that view, saying, ‘It’s too difficult to find a reasonable 7,000-meter-plus peak in Nepal. A 6,500-meter peak anywhere in the world would be a better idea’.
The climb on Mount Everest involves technical sections, including glaciers, fixed-rope sections and two extremely dangerous sections referred to as death zones: the Khumbu Icefall and the Hillary Step.
Other measures in the bill include a mandatory check-up from a pre-approved medical institution, advance disclosure if applicants intend to attempt breaking a record; and a requirement that the sardar, or accompanying guides must be a Nepalese citizen, a step intended to keep more revenue within the country.
This last clause too has sparked criticism from Furtenbach who has pointed to the lack of qualified local guides. ‘It is important that mountain guides have a qualification like IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations), no matter what nationality they are. We do also welcome Nepali IFMGA guides to work in the Alps in Europe,’ he told Reuters.
