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649 mountaineers to climb 22 peaks in Nepal Himalayas this spring

Many mountaineers looking to climb the highest mountains in the world in the Nepali Himalayas have reached the base camps and are waiting for the weather to clear.

As April and May are the months when the weather conditions are the best for expeditions, more and more climbers are arriving at the Department of Tourism in Kathmandu to obtain permits to scale various mountains in the Himalayas.

According to the Department of Tourism, climbing permits have been issued to 649 mountaineers from around the world who are attempting to climb 22 different mountains in Nepal this season. Out of the 649 climbers, 336 will be attempting to climb Everest. Twenty Nepalis are also attempting to make it to the Top of the World.

The climbers will be assisted by over 1,000 Sherpas, known for their high-altitude mountaineering skills.

Compared to last year the number of people coming to Nepal to go on mountaineering expeditions has recorded a decline. Last year 729 mountaineers had obtained permits to climb 21 different mountains.

This year, 528 climbers belonging to 55 expeditions are attempting to climb seven mountains above 8,000 metres ( Everest, Lhotse, Kanchanjunga, Makalu, Manaslu, Dhawalagiri, and Annapurna). Only one person is attempting to climb Annapurna this year.

Meanwhile, ‘Icefall Doctors’, a team of elite Sherpas preparing the route to the summit of Everest, reached Camp II last week and are moving up to Camp IV. Every year people spend six weeks going up and down the mountain from Base Camp to acclimatise, before making an attempt on the summit.

Mountaineer Steve Plain is one summit away from completing his bid to climb the seven highest peaks on seven continents in record time and has already reached Base Camp. Along with Plain, Kami Rita Sherpa is looking to climb Everest for a record 22nd time when he leads his expedition this season.

Adventurer Ben Fogle and Olympian cyclist Victoria Pendleton will be climbing Everest to support the British Red Cross and will be assisted by world-renowned IFMGA mountain guide Kenton Cool who will be climbing for the 12th time.

The world’s highest peak is likely to witness a ‘traffic jam’ this year also as 88 mountaineers are attempting to climb Lhotse and 11 are planning to reach the top of Nuptse– the route for both the mountains passes through the famous Khumbu Icefall.

According to Sherpas involved in the expeditions this season, the weather is likely to clear in the first week of May. The first successful expedition to the summit of Everest is expected around the second week of May.

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