‘Goddess of the Sky’: Nepal makes radical Mount Everest changes for the 2024 climbing season
Nepal has taken radical action to address the sorry state of Mount Everest – the sacred summit locals revere as the “Goddess of the sky.”
Radical new rules to protect Mount Everest are being brought in with its enduring appeal proving to be a disaster for the natural wonder’s once-pristine ground.
The Nepalese community is bracing for hundreds of foreigners to chase the elusive peak this season, and are hoping 2024 will not mirror 2023.
Nepal issued a record 478 climbing permits last year, and adding in one and a half Sherpa support per foreigner, that meant more than 1,200 people pursued the summit last spring.
The season, which runs generally runs between early April and June, saw 17 climbers, including Sherpas, die.
That figure cements the season in infamy as the peak’s second deadliest, topped only by 2018 when 18 climbers died in an earthquake.
The past season was also marred by concern over the state of the sacred summit that locals revere as the “Goddess of the sky.”
Headlines lead with imagery of immense summit queues, desecrated high-altitude camps strewn with trash, biological human waste including excrement and dead bodies, while Sherpas were also captured hauling seemingly ill-prepared climbers from the summit on other occasions at a significant risk to their own wellbeing.
Now, with just days until the world’s elite climbers descend on Kathmandu, Nepalese leaders are scrambling to avoid a repeat.
Khumbu Pasang Rural Municipality, a major authority over Everest, Base Camp and the tourism operations they facilitate, has brought in a suite of new regulations aimed at preserving the natural wonder while ensuring the safety and wellbeing of climbers.
Sherpa remembers forgettable 2023
Tenzi Sherpa, an experienced guide on the world’s highest peak, made global headlines during the 2023 season after the fed-up climber shed light on the sorry state of the sacred mountain.
He is among many Nepalese hoping for improvement this year, telling news.com.au he was glad to see local authorities exercise greater control over the mountain and Base Camp.
“Everest is melting every year, day by day from global warming and a lot of human movement,” he explained.
“This year, some rules have been changed, so it’s going to help prevent human waste.”
He supported a focus on preserving local tradition and employment on the mountain.
“The helicopter shouldn’t be there for supplies because there are many (local) people who supply all the stuff for the expedition,” he said.
“The government is looking for more sufficient tourism by protecting environment and culture and more than that, it is making new infrastructure and new roads to reach Base Camp more easy way.”
Tenzi Sherpa’s 2023 footage showed an abandoned mess at Camp IV – the last stop before the summit.
“The dirtiest camp I have ever seen,” he captioned a video that showed a group of climbers passing through what appears to be an abandoned camp strewn with mountains of unwanted climbing material.
He said the mess was an assortment of tents, empty oxygen bottles, steel bowls, spoons, sanitation pads and paper.
“I feel so sad every time cause I have seen many times doing expedition groups, and companies cut (their) companies logos and leave all the tents for the rest,” Tenzi said in 2023.
“I would like to request to the government to punish companies who leave their trash on mountain … it’s a huge problem we all face.”
As he gears up for the 2024 season, Tenzi Sherpa is hopeful a raft of new locally-led restrictions on climbers will see things improve.
Climbers face major changes this season
The Khumbu Pasang Rural Municipality’s recently announced Base Camp Management Procedure 2024, introduces significant changes will likely reshape the Everest climbing experience.
One of the most notable changes is the prohibition of business ventures at the Everest Base Camp Area. Bars, spas, bakeries, and cafes will be no longer.
Expedition teams will now be limited to a maximum of 15 members, a measure aimed at reducing overcrowding and minimising environmental impact.
The provision does allow for the enlistment of additional high-altitude and base camp workers as needed, ensuring that expeditions remain well-supported.
To address sanitation concerns, the new rules mandate the set up of designated toilet tents, with strict guidelines on waste disposal. Expedition members venturing beyond the base camp are required to carry back their waste in biodegradable bags, ensuring that the mountains remain unspoilt by human presence.
While trekkers and general visitors are still barred from overnight stays at the Base Camp, provisions have been made to accommodate family members, medical personnel, and sponsors of expedition members. However, strict guidelines regarding space allocation for dining and sleeping quarters have been put in place to prevent overcrowding.
In a nod to Nepalese tradition, the rural municipality emphasises the use of local porters and yaks to transport expedition equipment.
Helicopter transportation is now available despite initially being heavily restricted, subject to approval, with three helipads designated for emergency use at the Base Camp.
To enhance safety and accountability, a check-in system has also been implemented to track climbers’ progress beyond the Base Camp, ensuring timely intervention in case of emergencies.
Climbers will pay a small fee for electronic devices the size of a thumb drive which will be inserted inside their jacket.
Additionally, expedition teams are required to bring back all logistics items and a minimum amount of waste, with agencies receiving a ‘Garbage Clearance Letter’ upon proper waste disposal.
As for the bodies of those who die, which notoriously litter the peak, tour and expedition agencies will be tasked with grim task of retrieving them.
The Himalayan Times reported that: “Tour and expedition agencies will be responsible for retrieving the bodies of their respective high-altitude professionals, including mountain guides, porters, and trekking guides.” Only then will they be given a clearance letter.
However, with just days until the first climbers head to the summit, the BCMP is still being ironed out, and some key points are already being rolled back.
The Nepal Parliament is also working on a new tourism bill, adding the prospect of further or more robust regulation.
Take three ‘poo bags’
As for faeces, climbers ascending Everest will now be expected to collect it in doggy bags and carry it back to base camp, according to new regulations from local officials.
Each person will be given three bags by Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, the body governing most of Everest, to reuse throughout the climb.
Extreme low temperatures mean excrement left on Everest does not fully degrade, with local authorities citing that human stools are visible on rocks, cause widespread odours, and even cause climbers to fall sick.
In February, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee was hoping to source 8,000 ‘poo bags’ from the US which contain chemicals and powders that solidify human excrement and remove odour.
It’s thought the average climber produces 250 grams of excrement per day and usually spend about two weeks on the higher camps for the summit attempt.
Yaks to Base Camp in jeapordy
Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality has already been forced to amended a rule concerning the transportation of materials related to mountain above Syangboche – a two day trek from Base Camp.
Part of the first amendment to the Base Camp Management Procedure of 2024, the regulation stipulated that materials for mountain climbing in the area above Syangboche must not be transported by helicopter.
Instead, the use of local workers and porters, yaks, and jopke (cow/ yak hybrid) was mandated to support the local economy.
However, the rules have already been modified to allow for the transportation of climbing materials above Syangboche by helicopter or other means, provided permission is obtained from the coordination and monitoring committee when necessary.
According to climbing media, the obligation to use yak convoys instead of helicopters to ferry supplies the last leg to Base Camp was rolled back some after issues arose finding enough yaks in Syanboche.
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