Panel advises hike in Everest royalty

• The committee has also recommended opening up 32 new peaks for commercial expedition, name peaks after climbers

KATHMANDU, NOV 09 -

A committee formed to recommend on the revision of mountaineering royalty and adoption of necessary measures to make Nepal’s mountain tourism productive has suggested raising the expedition royalty fee for Mt Everest on individual basis. 

Identifying 35 issues and recommending urgent reforms to make Nepal’s mountaineering sector more organised, the panel suggested increasing the royalty fee for Mt Everest climbers to $11,000 per person per expedition by eliminating the group royalty system.

At present, the royalty for Everest ranges from $15,000-70,000 per expedition depending on the number of members (maximum seven) and the route. For an expedition that may have a maximum of 15 members (group), a fee of $10,000 per person is charged. The committee has also suggested the royalty amount for other peaks should be based on the height. 

For Nepali climbers, it has suggested charging Rs 75,000 per person per expedition, or a royalty waiver through the Cabinet decision, to climb the Mt Everest . “As the royalty fee is very high for Nepalis and takes at least a two-month process to get royalty waiver from the government, they are forced to climb mountains as a guide of the expedition team,” the report said. “The provision of royalty fee waiver will stay, and the minimum royalty amount has been fixed for those Nepalis those who do not have time to go through the long process,” according to ministry officials.  

The 10-member committee led by Purna Chandra Bhattarai, joint-secretary at the Industry Division of the Tourism Ministry, submitted the report to the ministry on Thursday along with a 50-point suggestion.   The report has also suggested the royalty system of the government and the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) should be the same. The government manages peaks of 7,000-8,000 m while the NMA manages the 33 popular peaks ranging from 5,587 to 6,654 m.

NEW PEAKS 

The panel has suggested opening up 32 new peaks for commercial expedition and recognising five new eight-thousanders. It has recommended making an official reorganisation of five peaks that are above 8,000 metres.

The recommended eight-thousanders are Yalung Khang (8,505 m), Kanchanjunga Central (8,473 m), Kanchanjunga South (8,476 m), Lhotse Middle (8,413 m), and Lhotse Shar (8,400 m).

The panel has also recommended naming new peaks, the peak point and base camps after individuals like Goerge Mallory, Andrew Irvine, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, Edmund Hillary, Phu-dorjee Sherpa, Maurice Herzog, Luis Lachenal, Apa Sherpa and Dr Harka Gurung, who have made a special contribution to mountaineering. Among the recommended names, eight are mountaineers, while Gurung was a geologist and anthropologist, known for his conservation work. The report has recommended the government make efforts for international recognition of peaks above 8,000m.

The panel has also suggested finding an alternative route to Mt Cho Oyu, 6th highest mountain in the world. “As Cho Oyu is difficult to climb and receives fewer climbers, an alternative route should be arranged from the Tibet side to make it more popular,” according to the report. The 8,201m Cho Oyu stands on the Tibet-Nepal border.

Among other recommendations are establishing a garbage management fund and involving public, private and community in mountains clean-up campaign. It has asked the government to monitor a number of mountains on border points that are not opened from the Nepal’s side, but are being climbed from neighbour countries. Around 222 mountains that lie on the border should be accorded high priority and importance, the report read. 

STREAMLINE RECORDS 

The report said activities in the name of making records were damaging the image and importance of peaks. It has suggested setting up standards for recognising records made by climbers, and the climbers need to make pre-application on their record plans. 

The panel has also suggested the government to open the doors for the private sector for promotional activities of popular mountains for a limited period under a contract. There are a large number of issues on the report that need the Cabinet’s approval, while the government’s shelf is already stashed with five such reports submitted earlier.