Nepal has issued a record number of permits to climbers wanting to summit Mount Everest this spring, an official said Thursday, prompting fears of overcrowding on the world’s highest peak. Most attempt to summit the 8,848 metre peak with the help of at least one Nepali guide, meaning that more than 750 climbers will be heading for the summit in the next few weeks. “The number of climbers issued with permits for Everest this spring is the highest ever,” said Department of Tourism spokesman Durga Dutta Dhakal. There was a slight dip in the number of permits issued in 2016, but otherwise there has been a steady increase in the number of people attempting to scale the world’s highest peak over the last decade. “If it is like 2012 with four or even six (days) we can expect record deaths, record frostbite while seeing record summits, a harsh scenario.”A photo of a huge traffic jam below the Everest summit in 2012 prompted calls for better crowd management on Everest, and even a cap on the number of permits issued annually.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 04, 2017 11:15 UTC