SANGAM

60 expeditions apply for various peaks

SANGAM PRASAIN

KATHMANDU, APR 08 - Spring is here and so are hordes of mountaineers aspiring to step on top of the Himalayan peaks. So far, 60 expeditions have applied to climb different mountains during this spring season, and 49 of them have been issued permits.

"The applications of the remaining 11 are being processed," said Baburam Bhandari, under secretary at the Industrial Department, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

According to the department, 547 persons (480 men and 67 women) have received permits to attempt 21 peaks above 5,647 m for this spring season. Among them, 224 have obtained permits for Sagarmatha, 58 for Makalu I, 49 for Lhotse, 35 for Annapurna I, 24 for Urkema Peak, 23 each for Dhampus and Manaslu, 20 for Dhaulagiri, 19 for Ama Dablam, 13 for Bhrikuti and 12 for Nuptse.

This spring, 22 expeditions have received permits to climb Sagarmatha. There were 29 mountaineering teams last year and 36 teams in 2008. Officials said that China had banned expeditions on the northern side during the Beijing Olympics which accounted for the sudden rise in expeditions from the Nepal side. Mountaineering is considered to be high-value tourism, and the government has collected Rs. 170.35 million as royalty from 49 expeditions so far.

Bhandari said that the number of expeditions was likely to increase till April 15 when the spring climbing season ends. "However, applications can be entertained in May too," he added. Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), said that the government had allowed it to grant climbing permits for 33 peaks out of the 326 peaks in the country.

Last year, the NMA had processed applications from 1,200 expedition teams consisting of six-seven members each. There were 600 mountaineering teams during the spring season.

"We issued 230 permits between March and the first week of April," Sherpa said.

Pakistan has reduced the climbing royalty by 50 percent and the government has encouraged development of infrastructure which are

the reasons there was no

significant rise in the number of expeditions in Nepal, Sherpa added.

Nepal offers a royalty discount of 50 percent in the winter and summer seasons and 75 percent in the autumn

season. The royalty for the spring season is higher. No climbing royalty is charged

for mountains in the Mid-Western and Far Western development regions.

The royalty for peaks higher than 6,500 m ranges from US$ 1,000 to US$ 25,000 depending on the route and elevation. For mountains of less than 6,500 m in height, each climber is charged US$ 400.

Some spring expeditions

Country Mountaineers

USA 90

Korea 37

Finland 34

Britain 30

Spain 26

France 26

Germany 22

Russia 21

Canada 20

Australia 19

UK 19

Malaysia 14