For the first time since the pandemic began, China is permitting foreign climbers to access Mount Everest via Tibet.
Adrian Ballinger, who has scaled Everest eight times, is among the Western guides who favour the Tibet route to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain (from the north), as opposed to the more renowned Nepal route (from the south). This year, he will lead a group of climbers through his company, Alpenglow Expeditions.
Rather than being handled by a tourism official or council in Beijing, all passes to use the Chinese route up the mountain, known as Qomolangma in China, are distributed by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA).
The Chinese government has released no official announcement notifying the public that passes will be distributed.
As a result, according to Ballinger, the most reliable way for a non-Chinese climber to know that the Tibet side of Everest will be open is when the CTMA sends out a price list for the season. These lists detail the costs of yaks (which carry gear up and down the mountain), local guides, translators, and transport from Tibet’s capital of Lhasa to Everest Base Camp.
Foreigners who secure tourist visas to China must obtain an additional, separate visa for Tibet, a semi-autonomous region. The CTMA aids climbers with this process.
There are a maximum of 300 permits available annually for non-Chinese climbers.
The window for climbing Everest is small – usually between late April and mid-May. Ballinger’s team will arrive in China on April 25 after pre-acclimatizing at home to save time.
While Nepal boasts the more famous and frequently photographed route to the summit of Everest, the larger number of visitors correlates with more litter, erosion, and human waste.
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