5/13/2023 6:46 pm (act. 5/13/2023 6:46 pm)
The season started on Mount Everest ©APA/AFP (archive)
This season’s first climbers climbed Mount Everest from the Nepalese side. On Saturday, at 1:52 pm, nine Sherpas reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain, said a spokesman for Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism in the capital Kathmandu.
The group stretched fixed ropes, which served as support for subsequent groups during the climb, he said. Sherpas are an ethnic group from the Himalayas whose members often work as mountain guides and porters for mountaineers from abroad.
A record number of people are aiming to climb Mount Everest this spring. A total of 467 people have been granted permission to climb from the southern Nepalese side, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Most of them come from China and the USA. In principle, an ascent is possible both from Nepal and from China. However, since 2019, China has not issued such permits to foreign tourists.
Situated on the border between Nepal and Chinese-administered Tibet, Everest is the highest mountain in the world at 8,848 meters. Hundreds of people try to climb the summit every year. In Nepal, a license for this costs the equivalent of around 10,000 euros, and the entire expedition between 40,000 and 100,000 euros. Climbers repeatedly die on Everest.