China Reopens Mount Everest to Foreign Climbers through Tibet
After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, China has made a momentous decision to allow foreign climbers to conquer Mount Everest through Tibet once again.
Renowned mountaineer Adrian Ballinger, a veteran of eight Everest summits, is among the Western guides who prefer the lesser-known Tibet route to the peak of the world’s tallest mountain. Leading a group of climbers through his company, Alpenglow Expeditions, Ballinger is gearing up for an epic journey.
Unlike the more popular Nepal route, all permits to ascend the Chinese side of Everest, known as Qomolangma in China, are now managed by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA).
Surprisingly, there has been no official announcement by the Chinese government regarding the opening of the Tibet route. Non-Chinese climbers rely on receiving a price list from the CTMA to confirm the availability of passes for the season.
Foreigners planning to climb Everest must obtain a separate visa for Tibet, a semi-autonomous region. The CTMA provides assistance in securing this additional visa for climbers.
With a strict limit of 300 permits per year for non-Chinese climbers, the competition for a chance to conquer Everest is fierce. The climbing window is typically between late April and mid-May, prompting Ballinger and his team to arrive in China on April 25.
While the Nepal route is more popular among climbers, the increasing number of visitors has resulted in environmental concerns such as litter, erosion, and waste. This was not always the case, as Ballinger recalls a time when the Chinese side of Everest was considered safer and more popular.
However, a shift occurred in 2008 when China hosted the Summer Olympics in Beijing. The closure of Everest for the entire season that year led to a surge in climbers choosing the Nepali side. Now, with the reopening of the northern route through Tibet, the tide may slowly be turning back towards the Chinese side of Everest. — CNN
