In an interesting turn of events that can set back Nepal’s Mountaineering industry, several veteran climbing outfits, fed up with poor regulations and overcrowding at the southern flank have decide to shift their base to the northern flank of the peak which falls under Chinese territory.
The climbers describe the lax attitude to safety on the part of the mountaineering association, as the reason for the shift.
Phil Crampton, a seasoned climber announced in January that his company Altitude Junkies will shift their operations to China. This is third outfit to abandon Nepal in recent years, reported ChannelNewsAsia.
Crampton said, “The south side is overcrowded with inexperienced climbers.”
The exodus of foreign mountaineering outfits could be a serious setback for the cash strapped Himalayan nation.
The Mountaineering Association is demanding a probe into the growing number of low-cost budget outfits who operate out of the southern flank.
The budget organization though satiate the adventurous need of the amateur climbers, poses a serious threat to death and injury as most of the outfits are ill-equipped to tackle the peak.
According to information from the Himalayan Database seven of the ten deaths of the last two years on Everest’s south flank belonged to amateur climbing outfits.