It has been five years since the first Maltese climbers conquered Mount Everest, but for anyone hoping to follow in their footsteps, the feat of summiting the world’s highest mountain is soon going to become a little harder to achieve.
The Nepalese government recently announced that it is considering banning inexperienced climbers from tackling the 8,848m summit. The new regulations, which could come into effect next spring, will require climbers to prove they have already climbed a mountain higher than 6,500m.
More controversially, the Nepalese authorities also plan to ban climbers who are disabled, very old or very young.
Nepal’s Tourism Secretary Krishna Sapkota said the move was intended to improve safety and maintain the “glory” of the summit.
“We cannot let everyone go on Everest and die. If they are not physically and mentally fit it will be like legal suicide,” he said.
For Gregory Attard, a member of the first Maltese expedition to conquer the mountain and a frequent returnee since, the plans are a welcome step towards relieving the overcrowding that has plagued Everest in recent years.
If they are not physically and mentally fit it will be like legal suicide
The number of climbers attempting the summit has doubled over the past decade to approximately 600 a year, apart from the Sherpas and guides who make the climbs possible, turning Base Camp into a small village. At any given moment, most of those climbers are holding out for the same brief window when conditions are ripe for the climb. Large numbers slow everyone down, Dr Attard explains, and on the mountain, speed is safety.
“The main problem on Everest – and what so often makes it lethal – is a lack of experience,” he says. “Climbing a 6,500m peak doesn’t mean you’re ready to climb Everest, but at least you have some exposure to altitude. More and more people are attempting Everest as their first mountain – it’s foolish and it creates danger.”
Dr Attard, however, expresses scepticism as to how effective the requirement will prove, pointing out that tour providers – who sometimes charge up to $120,000 – could simply arrange to have people climb a 6,500m peak in Nepal while on the way to Everest.
He is also less convinced about the fairness of banning older people from the mountain. The guide who led the first Maltese expedition in 2010, he says, was 62 - “and we could hardly keep up with him”.
Dr Attard suggests, service providers should take it upon themselves to ensure climbers have the right training and experience.
“But that reduces your income, and the person will just find another company willing to take him,” he says.
“With Nepal, there are always ways around things. Everest is about pounds, shillings and pence, especially after the disasters of the last two years. There’s no easy solution.”