Nepali climbers call for action against global warming on Everest Day celebration

May 29, 2023

Kathmandu (Nepal), May 29 (ANI): Everest summiteers has called for action as rising temperatures have continued to threaten Nepal’s mountaineering as the nation celebrates the platinum jubilee of the successful ascend of the world’s tallest peak, Mount Everest. Hundreds of mountaineers, including Everest summiteers, gathered in Kathmandu and held an awareness rally walking through the streets of Kathmandu. They were later felicitated by the government for their feat of scaling the highest peak in the world. The Sherpa community of Nepal is mainly dependent on mountaineering and expeditions. They’ve been assigned to fix the ropes to the summit, which officially opens the summit window to climbing enthusiasts. Because they are stronger at high altitudes, sherpas are well-suited for alpine-style expeditions in the Himalayas. Climbers mainly need them to carry oxygen, the gear, and as a safety measure on the summit path. They are highly recognised as elite mountaineers and experts in high-altitude adventures. On Monday, those awarded badges were mainly members of the Sherpa community, which includes Kami Rita Sherpa, dubbed "Everest Man," who has ascended the 8848.86-metre peak of Mount Everest 28 times, the highest so far. As the Sherpas have been helping and setting records, there is a renewed call for the protection of the Himalayas, which are the main source of income for cash-strapped Nepal as well as the backbone of mountaineers. Nepal this year has seen a high influx of climbing aspirants, as the Department of Tourism has issued permits to 478 fee-paying individuals, the highest permit issuance on record, to climb Everest. Nepal, earlier in 2021, had issued a record 409 permits, which overcrowded the summit and were often blamed for the high fatalities that year. A year later, the number dropped to 325, taken as an impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and recession that is coming forth this year. Close to 7,000 mountaineers have climbed Everest from the Nepal side since Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and New Zealander Edmund Percival Hillary first set foot atop the world's highest peak in May 1953.