The Chinese-Tibetan authorities are not expected to issue permits to foreign climbers this fall either. As I have learned from various reliable sources with very good contacts in Tibet, the eight-thousanders Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, and the north side of Mount Everest will remain closed for the time being.
However, an expedition operator from Nepal wrote to me saying that they haven’t given up hope yet and are continuing to seek a solution. In my estimation, though, the chances of obtaining a permit for this fall are likely minimal.
Officially, the Chinese-Tibetan authorities always remain tight-lipped about the reasons for such decisions, “so as not to lose face,” as one source wrote to me. Accordingly, we can only speculate as to why Tibet’s mountains remain closed to foreigners.
Resentment over fireworks or corruption allegations?
The Nepalese website The Tourism Times reports, citing a source in Tibet, that local authorities are still upset over an unauthorized fireworks display by the Canadian outdoor gear company Arc’teryx in September 2025 at an altitude of over 5,000 meters on a hill near the city of Shigatse.
This was a marketing campaign by the company featuring the renowned Chinese pyrotechnician Cai Guo-Qiang, who had also been responsible for the fireworks display at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Arc’teryx later apologized for the fireworks in Tibet. Following an Chinese investigation, four officials from Shigatse were sacked.
One of my sources doubts that the ongoing closure of the eight-thousanders is still related to that incident. The person says it’s just a pretext; in reality, it’s about “a lot of money.” Last winter, two high-ranking officials who had been primarily responsible for issuing permits in recent years were temporarily detained on suspicion of corruption. That is why the entire permit process for foreign expeditions is currently on hold, according to the source: “I don’t see things looking up for next spring either.”
The last time there was a reasonably normal climbing season in Tibet for foreign climbers was in fall 2024. Since then, only Chinese citizens have been granted permits to climb the mountains there. Shishapangma (8,027 meters) is the only one of the 14 eight-thousanders located entirely within Tibet. Cho Oyu (8,188 meters) and Mount Everest (8,849 meters) also have a Nepalese side. In the case of Cho Oyu, however, this side is technically much more difficult than the Tibetan side, making it virtually out of the question for commercial expeditions.