With the arrival of spring, mountaineering activities in Nepal have picked up momentum. According to Leeladhar Awasthi, the Information Officer at the Department of Tourism, a total of 381 climbers from 41 groups have been granted permission to climb various mountains between March 1 and April 9. The department has granted permits for 15 different peaks.
Awasthi told ApEx that a total of Rs 245.2m has been collected as royalty fees for mountain climbing permits. Among the climbers granted permission, 297 are men and 84 are women.
As always, Sagarmatha remains the main attraction for climbers. This season too, it has attracted the highest number of climbers, with 134 people from 14 groups receiving permits to climb the world’s highest peak.
Awasthi noted that during the same period last year, only three groups had obtained permits to climb Sagarmatha. This year, Rs 201.6m has been collected just from Sagarmatha climbing permits. According to the department, the highest number of permits for Everest has been issued to climbers from the United States (42), followed by China (19) and India (17).
Altogether, climbers from 57 different countries, including Nepal, have received mountaineering permits. Among them, only two climbers are Nepali. The highest number of permits—69—has gone to American climbers, followed by 51 from India and 43 from China. The department reports a highly encouraging increase in climbers for the first mountaineering season of 2025.
Currently, the department is issuing around five climbing permits per day, Awasthi added. In 2024, a total of 296 teams undertook mountain expeditions, including 46 teams for Everest alone. Of the Rs 780m collected in royalties last year, Rs 600m came from Sagarmatha permits alone, he said.
On Wednesday morning, an avalanche occurred at the Everest Base Camp, the world’s highest peak. Awasthi said the avalanche hit the Khumbu Icefall area, located between the base camp and Camp I. Due to the avalanche, climbers who were working on fixing ropes have been unable to proceed. Around 1,000 meters of fixed rope have been buried, along with four ladders. Awasthi stated that the situation is currently being monitored, and due to wind speeds of up to 35 km/h, the weather has turned unfavorable. He also mentioned that there was heavy snowfall on Tuesday.
