Owner Mingma Sherpa said they offer the lowest rate for those attempting to scale Everest starting at $30,000. Kathmandu-based Seven Summit Treks, which has been in operation since 2010, had the highest number of clients last year. With the number of Nepalese operators increasing and the price dropping, there has been increase in number of Everest climbers. Some of them have even begun to expand their investments to hotels, trade and even developing hydropower projects, Aryal said. For the first time, most children in the region have been educated in schools and families have permanent houses. The trekking paths to Everest and other peaks are lined with hotels and restaurants and shops owned by the Sherpas. Nepalis’ rise to the top of the mountaineering industry has spread the wealth more broadly among native communities. “They used to serve the foreigners but now are mostly working for themselves.” “Western climber guides and operators are no competition for Nepalese,” said Apa Sherpa, who climbed Everest 21 times before retiring. There are now 47 Nepalese companies that handle expeditions to the world’s highest peaks compared to about a dozen foreign companies, according to Krishna Aryal of Expedition Operators Association of Nepal. Local guides must pay $650 for a climbing permit, compared to $11,000 for foreigners, said Surendra Thapa, official at the Department of Tourism. “Nepalese operators have made a leap in mountaineering sector because they are less expensive, more experienced, have collected equipment and gears over the years they can use and have to pay less for a climbing permit.” “Nepalese are leading in the mountaineering and adventure tourism in the region now,” Tshering said. As a result, there are more Nepal-based companies globally, not just in Nepal, but also in China, India and Pakistan, which collectively boast the world’s 14 highest peaks. In recent years, however, the tide has changed: Sherpa guides are now more educated, and have traveled farther than their predecessors, picking up business acumen and corporate endorsements. Mountaineering expert Ang Tshering’s great-grandfather was among the workers who were part of the 1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irvine team that attempted to scale Everest from the Tibetan side.
Since climbers began attempting to reach Mount Everest a century ago, the industry has been controlled by Western companies relying upon Sherpas as guides and porters. There were 1,136 climbers in Nepal last year, about 40% more than in 2013. Sherpa-owned companies have lowered the cost of expeditions, leading to record numbers on the peaks but also a higher death toll.Įleven people died in 2019, the largest toll in four years, some of whom suffered cardiac arrest while waiting to make the final summit to Everest. They now dominate the lucrative industry in the Himalayan nation. KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Once relegated to support staff, Nepalese climbers famous for their skills on the world’s highest peaks are emerging out of the shadows of their Western peers. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
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