It’s only official once it’s in the Nepal Gazette. You should always keep that in mind when you read about reforms in the Himalayan state.
Because in Nepalese politics, ideas are often discussed aloud. The media then usually communicate them as if they were already a done deal. However, many proposals end up back in the drawer as quickly as they came out.
This also applies to many political ideas surrounding mountaineering on Nepal’s eight-thousanders. They come and go. So what has the government in Kathmandu published in the Nepal Gazette ahead of the upcoming spring climbing season, and what is now official?
Permits are more expensive
The sixth amendment to the rules for mountaineering expeditions was passed and came into force on 1 September 2025. This means, above all, that climbing permits are now more expensive. For example, climbing Mount Everest via the Nepalese normal route now costs foreign mountaineers $15,000 per person instead of the previous $11,000.
Permit prices are also rising for the country’s other eight-thousanders. For Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, and Annapurna I, the price will climb from $1,800 to $3,000 in the spring. This new rate already applied to the popular autumn destination Manaslu last fall.
The end of solo ascents?
The Gazette also states that for eight-thousander expeditions, there must now be at least one mountain guide or Climbing Sherpa for every two clients on commercial expeditions. This will change virtually nothing on Everest, as it is now common practice for many expedition teams on the world’s highest mountain to provide each client with two “personal” Sherpas.
Strictly interpreted, the new rule would rule out solo ascents on eight-thousanders. However, Nepalese tour operators have already publicly stated in advance how professional mountaineers can circumvent the regulation: they pay for a guide but climb alone. Incidentally, the government has not yet contradicted these statements.
Higher insurance sums and daily allowances for staff
Insurance premiums for Nepalese expedition personnel have risen significantly – at least fourfold. In future for instance, the insured sum for a mountain guide will be two million rupees (around $13,800) instead of the previous 500,000 rupees ($3,450).
The daily allowances for Nepalese expedition staff have more than tripled. This sounds more spectacular than it is, as the sums involved are low. For example, the new allowance for a Climbing Sherpa has been set at 1,200 rupees per day, equivalent to $8.25.
New tourism law still has to pass the lower house
In recent weeks, Nepal’s proposed new Tourism Bill has been reported not only in the Nepalese media, but also in the international mainstream media. However, the new regulations contained therein are not yet a done deal, as many reports suggest.
Only the National Assembly – Nepal’s upper house, in which the country’s eight provinces are represented – has so far passed the so-called “Integrated Tourism Bill.” The House of Representatives still has to approve the bill, which is considered the bigger hurdle.
Tomorrow, Thursday (5 April), the lower house will be re-elected. Experience shows that it will take a while after that for the government to be formed and for parliament to be fully operational again. For the upcoming spring season on the eight-thousanders, the tourism law in its current form will therefore still apply.
At least a seven-thousander in Nepal before Everest?
Among other things, the planned reform stipulates that anyone applying for a permit for Mount Everest must first have climbed at least one seven-thousander in Nepal.
Mind you, the mountain must be located in Nepal, so that the cash registers don’t start ringing in other countries with seven-thousanders – such as Pakistan, India, China, Kyrgyzstan, or Tajikistan.
As I said, the package has not yet been finalized. However, since the upper house unanimously approved the bill proposed by the previous tourism minister, there is every reason to believe that the new Tourism Bill will also pass the newly elected parliament.
“Team members planning a Mount Everest expedition in 2027 should already take these changes into consideration.,” wrote Austrian expedition operator Furtenbach Adventures on Facebook. The company recommended that such Everest aspirants join the Furtenbach teams next fall on the 7,246-meter-high Putha Hiunchuli or the 8,163-meter-high Manaslu, both located in western Nepal.
Ang Sarki Sherpa leads the Icefall Doctors
Meanwhile, the team of so-called Icefall Doctors is likely to have reached base camp on the Nepalese south side of Mount Everest. The eight Nepalese mountaineers, selected and paid for by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), set up the ascent route through the dangerous Khumbu Icefall with ladders and fixed ropes every year and maintain it throughout the season until the end of May. This passage is considered the most objectively dangerous on the way to the summit.
The icefall is constantly shifting, and one of the mighty ice towers could collapse at any moment. Due to climate change, the Sherpas are increasingly having to contend with very wide crevasses.
The team leader is once again Ang Sarki Sherpa, the longest-serving of this year’s Icefall Doctors. The 54-year-old has been earning his living in the icefall above Everest Base Camp since 2008. This season, Dawa Jangbu Sherpa, Tendu Sherpa, Ngima Tenji Sherpa, Phurba Chheten Sherpa, Dawa Chhiri Sherpa, Sonam Geljen Sherpa, and Mingma Gyaljen Sherpa are also taking on the risky job. The base camp manager is Tshering Tenzing Sherpa.
Everest north side remains closed
Despite the higher permit fees, the base camp on the south side of Everest is likely to be crowded again this spring. This is because climbing the Tibetan north side of the world’s highest mountain will not be possible this spring, except for Chinese teams.
Lukas Furtenbach, head of Furtenbach Adventures, confirmed to me that Tibet will remain closed to foreign mountaineers, even though there has been no official announcement to that effect.