BBC Online :
Climbing Mount Everest this season is “almost impossible” because the routes have been damaged by avalanches triggered by last month’s earthquake, officials in Nepal say.
They warn that it will take time for the routes to be remade. The government has not announced an official decision.
At least 19 people were killed in the avalanches.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake is now known to have killed more than 7,000 people and injured more than 10,000.
The window for reaching the summit of Everest closes at the end of May because of the start of the monsoon, and some climbers are already waiting at Base Camp in the hope of the route re-opening soon.
Most climbers have paid $70,000 (£46,200) for the expedition.
Amid continuing uncertainty however, all except one or two of the 42 expedition groups have already called off their ascent bids, officials say.
Officials of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) told the BBC that “icefall doctors” – who are expert rope and ladder-fixing Sherpas – decided that further climbs were impossible this spring
after inspecting avalanche-hit areas of the mountain. Most climbing firms have lost either lost their members or suffered a huge loss of equipment. Almost a year ago another avalanche at the world’s highest peak claimed the lives of 16 Sherpa guides.
At the moment the Nepalese government is refusing to officially announce that there will be no more climbing on Everest this year.
Climbing Mount Everest this season is “almost impossible” because the routes have been damaged by avalanches triggered by last month’s earthquake, officials in Nepal say.
They warn that it will take time for the routes to be remade. The government has not announced an official decision.
At least 19 people were killed in the avalanches.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake is now known to have killed more than 7,000 people and injured more than 10,000.
The window for reaching the summit of Everest closes at the end of May because of the start of the monsoon, and some climbers are already waiting at Base Camp in the hope of the route re-opening soon.
Most climbers have paid $70,000 (£46,200) for the expedition.
Amid continuing uncertainty however, all except one or two of the 42 expedition groups have already called off their ascent bids, officials say.
Officials of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) told the BBC that “icefall doctors” – who are expert rope and ladder-fixing Sherpas – decided that further climbs were impossible this spring
after inspecting avalanche-hit areas of the mountain. Most climbing firms have lost either lost their members or suffered a huge loss of equipment. Almost a year ago another avalanche at the world’s highest peak claimed the lives of 16 Sherpa guides.
At the moment the Nepalese government is refusing to officially announce that there will be no more climbing on Everest this year.
