Climbers advised not to scale Mt Everest for few days

The inclement weather in Nepal due to Tropical Cyclone Tauktae, which is brewing in the Arabian Sea and is expected to land on the western coast of India anytime this week, has affected the mountain expeditions.

Mira Acharya, Director of Department of Tourism, who is also the head of the Mountaineering Section of the department, told NepalNews that Cyclone Tauktae had hampered expeditions since Thursday.

Meanwhile, Pratibha Manandhar, Senior Meteorologist at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, while speaking to NepalNews, mentioned that climbers have to be careful due to two factors actually. “It is not only Cyclone Tauktae but also the pre-monsoon season that needs to be taken into consideration,” she informed.

“Usually in the mountainous regions there are chances of lightning strikes in the afternoons during the pre-monsoon season and the winds too are quite strong,” Manandhar mentioned, adding that Cyclone Tauktae had further compounded the problem.

She said that the department has warned the mountaineers not to attempt to scale any mountain at the moment given the weather conditions. “In fact, we have advised both the mountaineers and concerned stakeholders not to start any expeditions until Friday,” Manandhar said. It would be wise for the mountaineers to remain in the base camp until the weather clears out, she advised.

At present, there are dozens of climbers attempting to scale Mt Everest. “We cannot say exactly how many climbers are at the Everest Base Camp as of now because they are scattered,” said Acharya. She mentioned that some climbers are in Camp 1, some in Camp 2 and others in Camp 3 and 4.

“Moreover, some climbers return to Kathmandu from the Base Camp after acclimatising themselves before they attempt to scale the mountain,” she shared. Acharya added that there are also some climbers who after acclimatising go to Namche Bazaar for a few days.

She informed that climbers have been asked not to attempt to scale the mountain for the time being.

The Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, till date has issued expedition permits to 85 groups comprising 742 members for climbing various mountains, including Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) in the spring season.

“More than 150 climbers have already scaled Mt Everest this season,” Acharya said. She added that expeditions to Mt Ama Dablam have been completed but those to Mt Lhotse, Mt Nuptse and some other mountains are ongoing. “However, we have warned the climbers to stay in safe places for the moment and as soon as the weather improves they can begin their ascent,” she mentioned.