<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be7019c7e80680e0877d4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3024" height="4032"/><figcaption>Past the South Summit of Everest and climbing the Cornice Traverse with the Hillary Step in the background. Photo: KARMA TENZING</figcaption></figure>The height of Mt Everest has grown by 86cm to now measure 8848.86m, the foreign ministers of Nepal and China revealed at a joint virtual live event on Tuesday.The new measurement of Sagarmatha-Zhumulangma (Mt Everest) was declared by Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali in Kathmandu and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing by pressing a crystal ball simultanesouly. The two also exchanged congratulatory messages from Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Chinese President Xi Jinping to each other.The new height puts end to speculation about whether Mt Everest had risen or shrunk and by how much after the 2015 earthquake, or if there would be a wide discrepancy between measurements by Chinese and Nepali surveyors.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mt-everest-from-both-sides-now/">Mt Everest from both sides, now</a>, Raunab Singh Khatri and Rastraraj Bhandari<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be7049c7e80680e0877d5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2144" height="1000"><figcaption>New height joint announcement on Tuesday in Beijing and Kathmandu .</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be7079c7e80680e0877d6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="805"><figcaption>Sagarmatha Zhumulangma and the China Nepal border. Photo: NASA</figcaption></figure>The announcement came three days before International Mountain Day 2020 on 11 December, and in the week when China’s Chang’e 5 lunar probe is starting its return to Earth with soil samples from the Moon’s surface.Mt Everest’s elevation of 8,848m (29,028ft) had been accepted since 1955. But depending on who is counting, the height has been plus-minus a dozen or so metres since then.The joint announcement of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/re-measuring-mt-everest/">latest measurement of the world’s highest mountain</a> was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and officials in both countries guarded the new number as if it was a military secret.In the past century and half, the height measurement has changed as more accurate survey techniques became available.When the Great Trigonometric Survey Of India was done in 1856, surveyors triangulating from the plains found the height to be exactly 29,000ft. However, Sir George Everest, who headed the Survey, thought people would think they rounded off the figure, and added 2ft to it just so it sounded more accurate.The true height differ depending on where it is measured from – mean sea level, or the centre of the Earth. Because of the Earth’s equatorial bulge, Andean peaks can actually be considered ‘higher’ than Mt Everest.Measurements have also differed in the past because some take the elevation of the rock at the summit, while others also add the icing on top. The snow cornices on the peak are about 4m thick, depending on the season, wind patterns, and the impact of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/mt-everest-is-melting-are-you-moved/">global warming</a>.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/global-heating-melts-mountains/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Global heating melts mountains</a>, Nepali Times<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be70b9c7e80680e0877d7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="648" height="902"><figcaption>The history of Everest measurements.</figcaption></figure>To make it even more complicated, the real height of Himalayan peaks are not constant. There is tectonic pressure which can push mountains up or down, depending on the location. Mt Everest is said to be rising by about 1cm a year, but that is possibly cancelled out by the weathering process.More recently, geologists and scientists had also come up with different views on the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/on-everest-4-years-after-the-nepal-earthquake/">impact of the 2015 earthquake</a>, which is why the new joint measurement was needed. Besides the height, surveyors were also keen to find out if the mountain had moved southwards, and by how much. But the joint announcement on Tuesday did not disclose horizontal displacement.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be70d9c7e80680e0877d8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4000" height="3000"><figcaption>Photo: DAMIEN FRANCOIS/NEPALI TIMES ARCHIVE</figcaption></figure>“The height of Everest is constantly changing due to tectonic activity, of which the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2015/05/27/a-month-that-felt-like-a-year/">2015 Gorkha Earthquake</a> is only the most recent contribution,” Christopher Pearson of the University of Otago in New Zealand, who worked with Nepal surveyors on the measurement in 2018, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-china-re-measure-height-of-mt-everest/">explained to Nepali Times earlier this year</a>. “Since the present measurements are fairly old, we needed to update it.”The New Zealand government assisted Nepal’s Survey Department expedition to Mt Everest in May 2019 with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and trained technicians in processing the geodesy, levelling and gravity measurement data.The Nepali survey expedition was led by Khim Lal Gautam, who climbed the mountain for the second time on 22 May 2019, to take measurements with GNSS and ground-penetrating radar. On the risky descent, Gautam nearly died of exposure at the South Col.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/why-we-climb-mountains/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Why we climb mountains</a>, Damien Francois<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be7119c7e80680e0877d9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="946" height="631"><figcaption>Khim Lal Gautam and his survey team reached at the top of Mt Everest at 3am on 22 May 2019 to avoid the crowds. The GNSS equipment on a specially designed tripod is on the summit behind the climbers.</figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/measuring-mt-everest-because-it-is-there/">Gautam wrote in Nepali Times</a> recently about the experience: ‘The near-death experience reminded me of the importance of the summit observation and the responsibility that I had in bringing down the data. We took risk for this raw data so we could get the precise height of Mt Everest.’The Chinese also sent an expedition to climb Mt Everest in May this year – the only team on the mountain because of the pandemic. While the climbers were on top, a Chinese survey aircraft was flying overhead to take airborne gravity survey readings from the instruments on the summit. China said its equipment had “centimetre-level accuracy”.China and Nepal signed an MoU to cooperate on the re-measurement, and had originally planned to jointly announce the height during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kathmandu in October 2019.K2, the second highest mountain the world in Pakistan is 8,611m, so there is no danger of Mt Everest being demoted any time soon. The famous Hillary Step on the southeast ridge of Everest that used to be the last steep hurdle for climbers, collapsed during 2015, showing that earthquakes do suddenly change the topography of mountains.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everest-trail-repaired-during-pandemic/">Everest Trail repaired during pandemic</a>, Ang Rita Sherpa

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Mt Everest grows by 86cm

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3fb9c7e80680e07bb76jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1125" height="1500"/><figcaption>The summit of Mt Everest taken in 2019 by Karma Tenzing. In the foreground is the remnant of the Hillary Step that came down during the 2015 earthquake. Photo: Karma Tenzing / Nepali Times Archive</figcaption></figure>If it was not for the Covid-19 pandemic, we would by now have found out the result of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/re-measuring-mt-everest/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/re-measuring-mt-everest/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599813238828000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFZL04tv6GxFRAMKne9b1mPbnGuSA">latest measurement of the world’s highest mountain</a>.Yes, 8,848m (29,028ft) is widely accepted as the height of Mt Everest since 1955, even though the elevation of the summit has fluctuated by a dozen or so metres since then, depending on who is calculating.Since previous measurements were by American, European or Indian surveyors, it has now become a matter of national pride for Nepal and China to jointly come up with their own figure for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mt-everest-from-both-sides-now/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mt-everest-from-both-sides-now/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599813238828000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHDt5Ao7MwadqVxG_DfcOiFnGc3Zw">imposing peak that lies on their border</a>.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3fe9c7e80680e07bb77jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="805"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The height of Mt Everest has changed with advances in survey technology. The Great Trigonometric Survey Of India in 1856 declared Mt Everest as the highest mountain in the world at exactly 29,000ft. But since surveyors thought no one would believe such a round figure, they added 2ft to it so it sounded more precise.There are also many different ways to calculate the elevation of Mt Everest: from mean sea level, from the lowest depth of the ocean, or even the distance from the centre of the Earth which would mean that some Andean peaks would actually be ‘taller’ because the planet is not perfectly round but has a slight bulge along its equator.Then there is the question of whether the true elevation is the bedrock at the summit, or should the 4m thick icing on the top of Everest also be added to the height? The height is also not static – the peak is undergoing tectonic uplift of about 1cm a year, and the ice cover on the summit varies in thickness because of precipitation, wind and (of late) <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/mt-everest-is-melting-are-you-moved/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/mt-everest-is-melting-are-you-moved/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599813238828000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGf8UumOSF82z_M4qik652JHutNcQ">global warming</a>.More recently, geologists and scientists have also come up with different figures for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/on-everest-4-years-after-the-nepal-earthquake/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/on-everest-4-years-after-the-nepal-earthquake/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599813238828000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEE17Pjw7Nwnd4RMjPlBJVJvDRwfA">impact of the 2015 earthquake</a>– most agree that Mt Everest may have shrunk by about 3cm, and been displaced southwards by a metre or more.“The height of Everest is constantly changing due to tectonic activity, of which the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2015/05/27/a-month-that-felt-like-a-year/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2015/05/27/a-month-that-felt-like-a-year/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599813238828000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGNGJl_diA4aJRWlujwpkZpuQDe_Q">2015 Gorkha Earthquake</a> is only the most recent contribution,” explains Christopher Pearson of the University of Otago in New Zealand who worked with Nepal surveyors on the measurement in 2018. “Since the present measurements are fairly old, we needed to update it.”The New Zealand government assisted Nepal’s Survey Department to install GPS equipment on the summit and train technicians in processing the GPS data, geodesy, levelling and gravity measurements.Says Navin Manandhar, formerly with the Geodetic Branch of the Survey Department who helped develop the methodology for re-measurement: “This body of work is a matter of pride for Nepal, but is also a huge undertaking and with the whole world keenly waiting for the result, it has not been easy.”Indeed, <a href="http://www.dos.gov.np/everest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Survey Department</a> officials are tight-lipped about the final height, and will not even give a hint about whether Mt Everest is taller or shorter. The reason for the sensitivity is that the governments of China and Nepal have signed an MoU to cooperate in the re-measurement and agreed during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Kathmandu last October to announce the result jointly.Even if the new height of Mt Everest is found to be lower than it is now, there is no danger of its demotion from being the highest mountain in the world. The second highest peak, Mr K2 in Pakistan is only 8,611m.Nepal’s own survey team led by Khim Lal Gautam climbed the mountain on 22 May 2019, and installed GPS equipment and ground-penetrating radar at the summit. The team risked its life, with Gautam losing a toe to frostbite in the process.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb4009c7e80680e07bb78jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The Chinese side has not completed its study yet. A Chinese survey team finally <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/mt-everest-deserted-on-anniversary-of-1st-climb/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/mt-everest-deserted-on-anniversary-of-1st-climb/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599813238828000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFVkoY0ZrDAIbdRY1GECRAbNKccKg">climbed Mt Everest from the north in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic</a>on 28 May, and left its own equipment on top. This allowed measurements with China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system, as well as a series of overflights above Mt Everest in June by an aircraft installed with precision gravity survey equipment.There is now concern about what happens if there is discrepancy between the Chinese and Nepali calculations of the height. But experts interviewed for this report said the two elevations would be “close” even though China used the Yellow Sea as a reference for sea-level, whereas Nepal has chosen a point much closer on the Bay of Bengal coast.Says Pearson: “I expect the program will come up with by far the most accurate sea level height for Sagarmatha since Nepal has used cutting edge features in its survey. This work has also led to better models of geoid systems which will make it easier to measure the exact heights of other mountains in Nepal using modern GPS techniques.”Nepal’s Survey Department deployed both traditional methods (trigonometry levelling as done by Survey of India in 1950s) with precise levelling and more accurate modern geoid system with gravity survey, and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to cross check the results.Under trigonometry levelling, the Survey Department selected 12 observation points in Solukhumbu, Khotang, Bhojpur and Dolakha districts from where its technicians measured the position and angle of the summit. Surveyors then used Pythagorean theorem to measure its height.For precise levelling, the surveyors had to measure altitudes of a series of 12 points from sea level right up to the base of the mountain. For this, surveyors had to use six Indian trigonometrical points from the sea to the Nepal border.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb4039c7e80680e07bb79jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The ground penetrating radar that the Survey Department team left on the summit of Mt Everest last May measures the thickness of the ice cap at the summit and whether it is thicker or thinner. This can be used to calculate the rock height of the summit.Nepal’s surveyors have completed their calculations, and say that almost as challenging now is to keep that number a secret until the Chinese complete their calculations, and a joint announcement is made. That date has been pushed back by the pandemic.Even though the two countries share the mountain with the north, west and east face in China and the south face in Nepal, Mt Everest (Sagarmatha or Chomolungma) is an emotive issue in the country.“It will be unfortunate if this purely scientific exercise is overshadowed by politics,” says Manandhar. “It will help bilateral relations, but this exercise goes beyond Everest. The knowledge and experience we have gained will be crucial in all future survey work in Nepal.”<h2>How high is high?</h2>The modern history of Mt Everest is replete with debate about its true height. The Great Trigonometric Survey (GTS) of India in 1856 declared the mountain the highest in the world at 8,840m – and named the peak after Sir George Everest, its chief in 1965.In 1955, the Survey of India revised the height as 8,848m, and this was reconfirmed by China (8,848.13m) in 1975. But in 1999, a US survey using GPS and radar technology declared its height to be 8,850m.In 2005, a Chinese expedition remeasured Everest’s rock height and claimed it to be four meters lower at 8,844.43m, giving rise to long-standing debate on what should be the official height. China and Nepal then agreed they would use both figures.The problem with taking the ice cap as the summit height is that its thickness varies from year to year, whereas the rock summit is more permanent.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb4059c7e80680e07bb7ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="648" height="902">

Sonia Awale

Nepal, China re-measure height of Mt Everest

Fenerbahçe Beko won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi, held 23-25 May, defeating Monaco 81-70 in the final. Olympiacos, who defeated Panathinaikos 97-93, finished the series in third place. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final match, Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahçe Beko, received a prize of 1,000,000 Miles&amp;Smiles from Turkish Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur. The carrier has been the title sponsor of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a top tier tournament, since 2010.

Turkish Basketball

Thousands of Nepali students dreaming of an American education have been forced to look elsewhere as the Trump administration’s visa restrictions make their future uncertain.
The US was long considered a top destination for higher studies, making Nepal the 10th biggest country of origin for international students in America.&nbsp;
However, that number has seen a significant decline with the total for Nepali students now at 16,482. Some 8,000 Nepali students obtained no-objection certificates to study in the US from the Ministry of Education in the past year.&nbsp;
India, Australia, Canada, South Korea, United Kingdom and Japan are the other popular destinations for Nepali students. There are no clear numbers for Nepalis going to India, but a slight decline was noted this year after the deaths of two female students.
The US State Department has issued a circular to its embassies not to issue new visas to applicants until further notice. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the directive stated that the department planned to expand the screening of applicants' social media.&nbsp;
While new applicants are barred including those applying for visitor visas, students with scheduled interviews are allowed to proceed.
“Many of our students are affected by the new restrictions, but those who had applied for student visas earlier have got interview dates,” one Kathmandu-based college counsellor told us.
Meanwhile, even foreign students with spotless records already in the US have not been spared, as visa scrutiny intensifies under the new policy. In a move that underscores the growing sense of insecurity, many US colleges advised international students to carry their passports and documents at all times, even when traveling locally.
“Me and my friends did not go home this summer because we were not sure we would be allowed back, so we just went to Niagara Falls,” said a Nepali undergrad in Ohio, who like many interviewed for this report did not want her name used for fear of repercussion.
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Nepali students have adopted a cautious stance, with many choosing not to return home during summer vacation due to fear of visa revocations as well as travel bans. Meanwhile, over 7,000 Nepalis with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will have to come back to Nepal by 5 August or face deportation. Thirty-seven were flown back to Kathmandu on Omni Air last week.
“The US is one of the most sought-after destinations for higher education, and the ban will definitely impact bright students,” says Narottam Aryal of the King’s College in Kathmandu.
Indeed, Nepali undergraduates admitted into Ivy League colleges for the 2025 academic year have been asked to look for alternatives. The entire Fulbright Foreign Scholarships Board resigned on Wednesday citing interference from the Trump administration on the selection of this year’s cohort. Some Nepali students already on Fulbright scholarships have noted disruptions, delays and even cancellation of stipends.&nbsp;
The student visa restrictions were initially just for foreign students admitted to Harvard University, but it was later extended to all Chinese students and now to all students. Universities like Columbia which actively recruit foreign students, face sharp enrolment declines, threatening their financial stability and diversity.
An Indian female PhD candidate at Columbia University had her visa revoked by the US State Department, and said she was targeted on the basis of her social media posts on Israeli military attacks in Gaza. Social media vetting of political activism has raised concerns about privacy and freedom of expression in a country where such rights were a given.
Many students have been informed via email that their visas have been revoked for getting speeding or parking tickets, but even others with no criminal record have been affected. The fear of deportation looms large amongst international students, including those from Nepal.&nbsp;
For most Nepalis who migrate to the US for education, the journey is a high-stakes investment. They come largely from middle-class families, often rely on a patchwork of scholarships, work-study programs, loans, or even the sale of family assets to afford fees.
Most Nepali students pursue STEM subjects which offer extended Optional Practical Training (OPT) periods that help fund their education. But with the US backsliding on education and humanitarian matters, countries like the UK and Canada are becoming more attractive despite their own recent stricter controls on student visas.&nbsp;
The UK universities saw a 63% rise in Nepali students’ admissions in 2024. Japan is another popular destination with 64,816 Nepali students enrolled as of 2024.
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Already, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia are poised to benefit from the increased scrutiny of US student visas. Several Hong Kong universities are offering unconditional admission to affected students, while Malaysian institutions are targeting previously US-bound Asian students. China and India have 330,000 and 280,000 students respectively in America, but the numbers for China have seen a sharp drop in the past year.
Elsewhere, branch campuses of American institutions such as NYU in Abu Dhabi, Georgetown in Dubai and Northwestern in Doha are getting more admission applications, and universities in the Gulf region are expanding infrastructure to accommodate those who would otherwise have gone to the US.&nbsp;
Even educational institutions in Nepal are hopeful that the US visa restrictions can be an opportunity to at least keep Nepali undergrads in Nepal, and also attract foreign students from the region.&nbsp;
“Many students might choose to complete their undergraduate degree here in Nepal and then move abroad for their Master’s degree later,” says Aryal of King’s College. “There was a need for quality higher education in Nepal anyway in terms of innovation and opportunities, so this could be the time to reduce our dependence on other countries.”
Nepal’s strategic position between India and China makes it sensitive to US policy shifts. India, a key ally, is also under US scrutiny for potential student travel restrictions. Chinese universities are already offering more scholarships to Nepali talent to capitalise on the US retreat.
American universities have challenged student visa restrictions in the courts. A federal court in Boston revoked the blanket ban on Harvard, and the State Department has ordered the resumption of processing student and exchange visitor visas.&nbsp;
Some are still hoping that President Trump will backtrack on the student visa restrictions, just like he has done with many of his more drastic executive orders.
Even so, the visa see-saw and longer-term uncertainties about living in the United States and its education system means students across the world are making alternative plans.
Says Aryal: “Policies of foreign countries change according to their needs, so excessive dependence was never a good idea. We should work to create different opportunities and choices of higher education within Nepal, so students are retained.” &nbsp;

America no longer prime destination for Nepali students

While Nepal was hosting the Sagarmatha Sambaad international climate conference in Kathmandu this month, on Mt Everest it was pretty much business as usual.&nbsp; The signs of climate breakdown are all there: a river now runs through Base Camp in summer, the Khumbu Icefall is more unstable, and there are more &nbsp;frequent avalanches. When expeditions arrived in March, the mountains were bare: it had not snowed since September, but then blizzards dumped unseasonal snow in May. And despite climate worries, such is the pull of Himalayan mountaineering that the Everest Industry showed no signs of slowdown. More than 600 international climbers and their Nepali guides had made it to the summit of the world’s highest mountain. At one point there were an estimated 2,000 people in the tent city on the Khumbu Glacier. All the ropes and ladders on the Icefall came down on Thursday, marking the official end of the spring climbing season, and just in time to avoid a monsoon cyclone approaching from the Bay of Bengal. It has been an action-packed season. One factor could be that Everest fees will go up from September: each foreign climber needs to pay a $15,000 royalty, up from the present $11,000. The cost for a Nepali climber on the South Col route will also go up: from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000.&nbsp; The fee to climb Everest in autumn is $7,500 (up from $5,500), but most climbers still prefer spring. Winter permit fee (December-February) is only $3,750 per person and the mountain is now also open for monsoon (June-August) climbs, when the fee is ever lower at $2,750. The revised rule also makes it mandatory for every two climbers on an 8,000m peak to hire one Nepali mountain guide.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025053004050_67f856fe52714e4bdcf21ae7d45c6f18c82117b9d0a5f73ed1efa04c96de1046.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2025053004050_67f856fe52714e4bdcf21ae7d45c6f18c82117b9d0a5f73ed1efa04c96de1046" data-rendition-name="original" width="931" height="732" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry graph 1"> </figure>  In addition, climbers also have to pay for porters and guides, equipment, Base Camp costs, Ice Fall and fixed rope team fees, so climbing Everest does not come cheap. But such is the draw of climbing the world’s highest peak that some say the increased fees will not diminish the crowds next year. The government has tried to spread expeditions out to other seasons and other 8,000ers, but with not much success. Earlier this year, Nepal unilaterally increased the number of 8,000m peaks to 14 by adding six more sub-summits to broaden the choice for climbers. Added were: Yalung Kang (8,505m), Yalung Kang West (8,077m) &nbsp;Kangchenjunga Central (8,473m), Kangchenjunga South (8,476m), Lhotse Middle (8,410m) and Lhotse Shar (8,400m).&nbsp; The announcement could go against the accepted topographic criteria that a stand alone peak has to be at least 300m higher than an adjoining prominence, and at more than 3km isolation from it. The UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme) still recognises only 14 mountains as eight-thousanders, and only eight of those are in Nepal, or on the border with China. Nepal’s revised mountaineering regulations also increased the insurance coverage of high-altitude workers to protect porters and high altitude guides who usually take more risks on the mountains. Rescue teams and clean-up campaigners to collect trash and remove bodies of dead climbers up to Camp IV of Mt Everest do not need permits.&nbsp; The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee is now using drones to fly down trash in 20kg sacks. Each climber is also required to bring down at least 6kg of waste and not just their own, but this rule is erratically enforced. With five fatalities on Everest and Lhotse, Spring 2025 had a historically low death toll. Another five climbers died on Annapurna, Kangchenjunga and Makalu.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025053004050_38681de22f0fefb6faa12b01755566d09c5064d0ff84e12ccc7b5d68ea9ba38a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2025053004050_38681de22f0fefb6faa12b01755566d09c5064d0ff84e12ccc7b5d68ea9ba38a" data-rendition-name="original" width="665" height="740" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest industry graph 2"> </figure>  Journalist Ben Ayers who ran the Everest Live social media channel from Everest Base Camp with daily updates credited the low death rate to dramatic rescues of climbers from the ‘Death Zone’ by their Nepali guides and longline helievacs — the visuals all uploaded on YouTube.&nbsp; “Ironically, this perception of safety is bringing more and more inexperienced climbers to the mountain, and they need more rescues,” Ayers said in one of his dispatches.&nbsp; American expedition chronicler and summiteer Alan Arnette suspects there is a lot of under-reporting given that the jet stream and storms were lashing Everest even till late in the season. He told us: “I heard a lot about frostbite and rescues that were not made public. It’s become practically impossible to cover the details on Everest. All the teams report nice news, and they don’t talk about bad stuff to avoid hurting businesses.” Although trash on Nepal’s mountains makes headlines, what does not receive as much attention is the climate impact of so many expeditions. The Sagarmatha Sambaad conference sidestepped this issue, which is ironic given that the impact of climate breakdown is most evident on Himalayan peaks and their glaciers.&nbsp; <h2>Need for Speed</h2> The big stories this year have been about speed-running from their home cities to the top of Everest. Ukrainian entrepreneur Andrew Ushakov flew out of JFK on 15 May at 10:15AM Nepal time, and was on the summit 3 days, 23 hours, and 7 minutes later on 19 May at 9:22AM.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250601080640_1c5cc6fc991307861768f07037ed9d30930fb20f35dbb57dc31c9a92a9e1a885.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250601080640_1c5cc6fc991307861768f07037ed9d30930fb20f35dbb57dc31c9a92a9e1a885" data-rendition-name="original" width="1440" height="1800" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry"> <figcaption>Andrew Ushakov at the summt. Photo: ELITE EXPED</figcaption> </figure>  “I could never find the time for the traditional 40-50 days of acclimatisation,” Ushakov explained matter-of-factly. His ‘Everest Sea-to-Summit’ climb was possible because he spent 400 hours in hypoxic sleep tents over the past four years in New York. However, Ushakov did use ropes already fixed, hired four Nepali guides, helicoptered to Base Camp, and used much more oxygen than an average climber. And after the climb, Ushakov was arrested at Kathmandu airport for being in possession of $20,000 of undeclared cash and spent a night in jail and fined $60,000.&nbsp; The other speedsters were Garth Miller, Alastair Cairns, Anthony Stazicker, and Kev Godlington, all former British Army commandos. They left London and summited five days later on 21 May, and flew right back. They also used hypoxic tents to simulate the thin air high on Everest.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250601080644_90c8dd5cc07b4b43f2989b1dc0c0650ab80f10ebb06680c25a6909c519957bd8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250601080644_90c8dd5cc07b4b43f2989b1dc0c0650ab80f10ebb06680c25a6909c519957bd8" data-rendition-name="original" width="810" height="668" loading="lazy" alt="The Everest Industry "> <figcaption>All four members of the Furtenbach team at the summit. Photo: Sandro Gromen-Hayes</figcaption> </figure>  But more controversial was their use of xenon gas therapy in a German hospital to ramp up the production of oxygen-carrying haemoglobins in their blood. Xenon is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for being performance enhancing in sports. Expedition leader Lukas Furtenbach said this rule does not apply to mountaineering, as it is not a regulated sport like swimming. Nepal has no rules about xenon, but the Department of Tourism said it was launching an ‘investigation’ to decide on future policy since it is difficult to ban xenon, but allow oxygen. The controversy has also divided the mountaineering community, with some climbers saying they just want to maximise their chances of survival. Spending less time on the mountain could make climbing safer by reducing avalanche risk. It would also mean less trash on the mountains, but it would reduce the income of Nepal’s expedition industry. It is also unclear how much of the success was due to xenon therapy and whether the ex-special forces were already in good physical shape.&nbsp; The need for speed hides the fact that climbing in the Himalaya is dangerous business, and climbers cannot sprint to the top just by huffing xenon. But ultra-fast climbs could be charged more, and the revenue generated can be used to establish state-of-the-art rescue operations, and increase pay and insurance for guides. Two other speed chasers this season were Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff and American Tyler Andrews, both on Everest without oxygen. Andrews choppered to Base Camp to catch a weather window, but turned back from 8,500m due to high winds. Heavy snow and wind also forced Egloff to descend from 7,000m. Slow and steady climbers like Anja Blacha from Germany did make it to the summit without oxygen, while Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record with his 31st Everest summit as he led a 26-strong Indian Army group. There were 468 permits issued for foreign climbers from 48 expeditions to Everest this spring. Nepal’s other eight-thousanders together had only 17 expeditions. Nepal has more than 1,000 peaks above 6,000m, and has opened only 476 of them for climbing.&nbsp;

The Everest Industry

While Nepal marked <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mt-everest-pvt-ltd">Mt Everest</a> Day on 29 May, on the other side of the planet in the US state of Colorado dozens of Nepalis who have climbed the world’s highest peak multiple times were busy working as chefs and Uber drivers. Among them is Nima Doma Sherpa, who climbed Mt Everest in 2019 after her husband Tshering Wangchu was among 16 crushed by an avalanche on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/on-thin-ice-in-the-khumbu">the Khumbu Icefall</a> five years earlier. A large serac broke off the West Shoulder of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-everest-industry">Mt Everest </a>and fell directly on a group of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/more-porters-sick-on-everest-trail">porters and guides</a> making their way up the Icefall at 5,800m. Their bodies were flown by helicopter to Khumjung where Tshering Wangchu was born. He was excited about climbing Mt Everest for the first time.&nbsp; In Khumjung, Nima Doma felt like her own life had also ended. This was the kind of news Sherpa wives, mothers and sisters dreaded every <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/peak-climbing-season-2025-s4abrxny">mountaineering season</a>. She stayed home for more than two years grieving, but ultimately gathered up all her emotional strength to take care of her 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. Nima had grown up in Khumjung hearing <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/stories-of-nepal-s-summiteers">tales of adventure on the mountains </a>from their father, Ang Chubi Sherpa who had climbed Everest in 1993. He used to bring her and her sisters and brother European chocolates after every expedition, and used to tell them that the chocolate bars grew on the mountains. “It was only after we got older did we realise that he told us that chocolates grew in the mountains so we would not worry about him putting himself in harm's way,” Nima Doma recalled with a faraway look at her home in Boulder this week. Nima went to the school that <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/commemorating-edmund-hillary-in-nepal,4145">Edmund Hillary</a> opened in Khumjung till Grade 8, and then dropped out to help in the kitchen and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">tend yaks</a>. She was married off to Tshering Wangchu, who was also a high altitude guide. When Tshering went on expeditions, Nima also started working as a porter from Namche to Base Camp. It was perhaps her father’s tales of mountains of chocolates that had always attracted her to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/knowing-our-mountains-43v4iyvo">the peaks</a>. After her husband was killed ten years ago this month, being a widow with children was not easy for Nima Doma. But she was not alone: there were at least 200 single mothers in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/khumbu-since-1950-jaww4qn0">the Khumbu</a>, and 20 of them just in Khumjung whose husbands had been killed in <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/tragic-start-to-himalayan-spring-nepal,3695">mountaineering accidents</a>. Some were not even 20 years old, and had children growing up without fathers. But there were also women in the 50s whose husbands had been killed in the 1980s. Nima found sponsors for her children’s education, and moved to Kathmandu. In the capital, Sherpa widows used to meet to help each other. Some of them had joined the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) training for rock and ice climbing. “I decided that it was no use sitting home and crying anymore, after meeting other single mothers I felt less alone,” remembers Nima, who joined the Juniper Foundation and enrolled in an NMA training camp in Manang. There she climbed Chulu East (6,584m) and met Furadiki Sherpa, whose rope-fixing husband had also been <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/on-mt-everest-s-70th-records-and-fatalities">killed on Everest</a> in 2013. They set themselves the goal of climbing Everest one day, and started a fund-raising drive.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250530090544_621be0724b9182c8e3594b2c562a71ec32ac01d985a71d0cf31646de9d51e15a.png" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20250530090544_621be0724b9182c8e3594b2c562a71ec32ac01d985a71d0cf31646de9d51e15a" data-rendition-name="original" width="2678" height="1274" loading="lazy" alt="Everest summiteers find new life in the US"> </figure>  “We decided we had to overcome society’s stigma of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/widows-personal-happiness-comes-last-in-face-of-social-financial-hardships,1855">widowhood</a> and prove that <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/remembering-junko-tabei">women could also climb mountains</a>,” Nima said, adding that she was inspired by Nepal’s first woman Everest summiteer Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, who died during her descent in 1993. Nima Doma and Furdiki climbed the technically-difficult Ama Dablam (6,812m) and then arrived at Everest Base Camp in April 2019 as part of their Two Widows Expedition with the motto, ‘So Can We’. While climbing up the Icefall Nima passed the spot where her husband had been killed. It was a jumble of constantly-shifting ice blocks bigger than houses. She closed her eyes and said a prayer. “I remember thinking, this is so difficult and dangerous. This is what my husband had to do to support our family,” Nima Doma said. “I was determined to fulfil my husband’s dream of climbing Chomolungma, and to prove to ourselves that we two women could do it.” It was 23 May 2019 when <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/world/two-sherpa-widows-scale-everest-and-smash-stigma-idUSKCN1SU0MV/" target="_blank">Nima and Furdiki stepped on the summit</a> and looked over into Tibet, and down at Tengboche Monastery to the south.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250530090544_6b822582b5d88ba5e972db084f184690b40653c6efd9901b2dd082ffba2a263b.png" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="20250530090544_6b822582b5d88ba5e972db084f184690b40653c6efd9901b2dd082ffba2a263b" data-rendition-name="original" width="2700" height="1522" loading="lazy" alt="Everest summiteers find new life in the US"> </figure>  Nima Doma hugged Furdiki, took off her mask and wept. But for the first time in five years, it was not from grief but relief — relief for being free of all the sadness and sacrifices and for fulfilling her husband’s dream. They had found <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/life-after-death">life after death</a>. “I felt this immense joy to be on top of the world, it was indescribable,” Nima Doma said, “I have wept only twice in my life. Once when my husband died, and once there on top of Everest.” The tears had frozen on Nima Doma’s cheeks, as she and Furdiki headed back down the mountain.

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