Everest is overcrowded with inexperienced mountaineers, but a new law could solve the crisis

Telegraph

07-05-2025

In the annals of mountaineering epics and tragedies, few events have seared in the minds of climbers and the public like the disaster of Everest 1996, when eight people died after becoming trapped in a terrible storm. It was a story told in Jon Krakauer's best-selling book Into Thin Air. The fact they were mostly inexperienced and commercially guided added to the furore and debate.
It's a debate that continues to this day, almost 30 years on. Rarely does a year go by without an Everest drama hitting the headlines, from long queues to the summit, environmental issues relating to rubbish to the ethical questions around the treatment of Nepalese porters and Sherpa guides.
Now, in a bid to curb overcrowding on the mountain and to ensure that everyone who attempts to climb the 8,849m (29,032 ft) peak has the right experience, the Nepalese government has announced that in future, only those who've climbed a 7,000m mountain will be able to get a permit. There's just one catch – the mountain has to be in Nepal, sparking a backlash among some climbers.
Divided opinion
'That wouldn't make any sense,' Lukas Furtenbach, who's leading a team of British clients up the mountain this month, told the Reuters news agency. 'I would also add mountains that are close to 7,000 metres to that list and that are widely used as preparation [for Everest], like Ama Dablam [Nepal], Aconcagua [Argentina], Denali [Alaska] and others.'
But Simon Lowe, managing director of Sheffield-based expedition organisers Jagged Globe said it's a great idea. 'I think it's a brilliant thing, and long overdue,' he said. 'I advocated this a long time ago as a means of relieving pressure on Everest, making sure that only those people who go have some good previous experience.'
Lowe, who led the actor Brian Blessed on an expedition on the north side of Everest in that season of 1996, added that he was fine with the idea of Nepal insisting the qualifying mountain had to be in their country. 'They need to protect their own tourism income from mountaineering. So why would they not make it one of their own mountains?'
The new law, provided it passes both houses of the Nepalese parliament, will make little difference to Jagged Globe as they normally insist anyone applying to climb Everest has previously climbed an 8,000m mountain (there are eight mountains over 8,000m in Nepal) – or has exceptional mountaineering experience.
But he says others are not so discerning. 'The big worry has been for a long time, too many people were going to Everest basically with no experience, having never worn crampons before.'
Bending the rules
The British alpinist and guide Victor Saunders, who has led clients to the summit six times, wonders whether the law will be enforced. 'There's enough competing interests for it to be forgotten about,' he said. 'They have suggested this rule multiple times and dropped it in the past, and there's always a chance this could happen again.'
Lowe added that Nepal doesn't always have a strong track record of sticking to its own rules, pointing out that helicopter flights to and from Everest are only permitted for medical emergencies, but regularly ferry time-strapped clients. Indeed, when the Furtenbach-led team, which includes the current MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, the former Royal Marine Al Carns, attempts to climb the mountain this month in seven days from London, they will use helicopters to get to the mountain.
The end of the 'social media mountaineer'
Briton Adriana Brownlee, who in 2022 became the youngest woman to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000m mountains at the age of 23, said the law is needed. 'It's a good idea because at the moment Everest is extremely overcrowded and there are a lot of inexperienced mountaineers… One of the main reasons for this is the explosion of influencers, social media mountaineers and people posting about Everest and it's looking easier and easier. The reality is it's still a difficult mountain to climb.'
But she said the idea of sending novices up a 7,000m peak in Nepal may not be the best solution. 'If you jump straight to a 7,000er and then you go to Everest I think that's a recipe for disaster.' Instead, she said clients should prove themselves on 6,000m mountains first. 'But we need more safety on Everest,' she added. 'I've seen way too many times that people just aren't ready for the mountain.'
Tashi Malik, a well-known Indian adventurer who climbed Everest with her twin sister Nungshi in 2013, agreed, but warned it must be applied fairly. 'It's essential that this policy is implemented with transparency – ensuring access doesn't become overly restricted for passionate climbers from less privileged backgrounds,' she said.
Overcrowding and poo bags
Overcrowding has been blamed for the high number of deaths on Everest. At least 12 climbers died, and another five went missing on Everest in 2023 when Nepal issued 478 permits. Eight climbers died last year. The issue was dramatically brought to light by a photo taken in 2019 by the record-breaking climber and ex-Gurkha, Nirmal Purja. It showed a long line of climbers stretching to the summit. Similar pictures have gone viral since.
Overcrowding is ironically one of the unintended consequences of one of the things that has improved dramatically on the mountain since 1996, said Lowe. 'We've got really good weather forecasting now, but the problem with that is everybody goes for the summit on the same day.'
Another issue related to the numbers on the mountain is rubbish and human waste. Last year it was reported that climbers would have to climb with poo bags and return them to base camp, from where human waste is carried down the valley in barrels. Despite this, it's been estimated that there's over 5,000kg of waste in base camp, which sometimes seeps into the water supply.
The clean-up of Everest
Clean-up attempts do happen. In 2019, the Bally Peak Outlook Foundation removed two tonnes of waste off the mountain – over half from the so-called death zone, above 8,000m. But rubbish removal is an ongoing project. The new law also proposes a non-refundable rubbish fee.
For all that, the mountain known by the Nepalese as 'Sagarmatha' – the Head of the Earth touching the Heaven – remains an incredible endeavour for those brave enough to try. 'It's still a worthy objective,' said Saunders, 'the same way the London marathon is. But if your idea of mountaineering is to enjoy some solitude and escape from people then obviously it doesn't fit with that.'
'I had an incredible time,' added Brownlee, who summited the mountain in 2021. 'Mount Everest is a beautiful mountain. I would highly recommend it. The key is to make sure you're ready and have a good expedition company and an amazing guide and you'll be safe. There's no feeling like reaching the summit.'