Climbers who want to attempt Mount Everest should first have to demonstrate that they are experienced mountaineers, a panel advising Nepal’s government has recommended.
“Climbers to [Everest] and other 8,000-metre mountains must undergo basic and high altitude climbing training,” the panel said in the report it submitted to the government.
Report proposes that applicants must already have climbed a Nepali peak of at least 6,500m (21,325ft).
They should also have to provide a certificate of physical fitness, and employ experienced guides, it adds.
The Nepali panel was staffed by government officials, climbing experts and climbing community agencies.
Eleven climbers were killed or went missing on the 8,850-metre (29,035 ft) mountain in May, nine on the Nepalese side and two on the Tibetan side.
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, and foreign climbers are a major source of revenue.
The country issued 381 permits for Everest for this year’s climbing season, which tends to culminate in May, when the daylight and weather are the most forgiving.
