Safe route to climb Mount Everest open soon

The safe route for climbing Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, is set to be operational by next year in April-May. The Department of Tourism has stated that the route to climb Mount Everest from the Nupse Himal side, which was first used by New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953, is about 80 percent route complete.

The Khumbu Icefall route was first put into operation in 1984. After the opening of the Khumbu Icefall route, the route to Nupse, known as the traditional route, became useless. That route is much safer and more reliable than the one to the Khumbu Icefall. World-renowned climber and researcher Kaji Sherpa, French climber Marc Watai, and another world-renowned climber from France, Antoine Arroyo, have been assigned the task of searching, investigating, and re-operating the same route.

About 80 percent of the construction of the route has been completed, with the Everest Base Camp at the foot of Mount Nupse. Led by Kazi Sherpa and Marc Watai of France, has granted permission to open the historic route for Mount Everest. It is estimated that about four hundred thousand US dollars will be spent to fully prepare this route. Three hundred thousand dollars have been spent so far. The main support has come from mountaineering enthusiasts and private donors in France.

Preparations are underway to complete the remaining 20 percent of the work and operate it within the coming spring. The first risk while climbing Mount Everest is the Khumbu Icefall. The snow here keeps melting and cracking. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary first set foot on the summit of Mount Everest 72 years ago via the same route.

When Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest in 1953, the self-esteem of the Nepali people reached the world. When this road opens, employment will increase for Nepal’s guides, porters and local businessmen. Mount Everest will once again become the center of world mountaineering.

By Asian Hiking Team