KATHMANDU: Nepal is all set to welcome foreign climbers to its mountains as the spring climbing season nears. Expedition agencies are now accepting bookings and are busy corresponding with their clients, as well as packing logistics. Expedition operators hope that more climbers will join expeditions on the Nepal side after China reportedly closed the Tibetan route (North Col) for the spring season, following a controversial fireworks show jointly conducted by Arc’teryx and Cai Guo-Qiang.

Spring is the main climbing season in Nepal, during which climbers from around the world attempt to scale the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest, as well as others including Mt Lhotse, Mt Makalu, Mt Kanchenjunga, and Mt Nuptse among otehrs.

As the peak season approaches, recent developments—including the arrest of helicopter charter service operators over a fake rescue scam and the passage of a tourism bill by the National Assembly—have created some confusion among climbing enthusiasts as to whether their travel plans will proceed as usual in Nepal.

The Tourism Times has spoken with concerned government officials and stakeholders to clear up the confusion. "Helicopters are all set to commence smooth rescue flights in mountain regions this season, like in the past," confirmed Nima Nuru Sherpa, chairman of Altitude Air. Helicopter service providers are also ready to better manage their services if needed, Sherpa, who is also the senior vice-president of the Airlines Operators Association Nepal, added.

Iswari Paudel, first vice-president of the Expedition Operators Association Nepal (EOAN), stated that there will be no problem in conducting high-altitude rescues in the mountains. "All heli service providers are ready to conduct genuine rescues from the mountains," Paudel noted. EOAN will leave no stone unturned to run the spring climbing season smoothly, he added.

Ram Krishna Lamichhane, Director General at the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, said that none of the provisions regarding mountaineering expeditions have changed this season (2026), except for the royalty.

With the passage of a new bill by the National Assembly, there is a rumor that Everest aspirants need to climb a 7,000-meter peak in Nepal to obtain an Everest permit this season. "It’s not true, and everyone who is capable of climbing Everest is welcome, as in past seasons," the DoT official said.

The new bill, which includes a few new clauses including the mandatory 7,000m climb provision, has just been passed by the upper house, but it is not yet enacted. "The bill will later be tabled in the new House of Representatives, to be formed after the March 5 general elections, and then it will be deliberated by the different house committees," mountaineering division at the Ministry of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation said, adding that the president will authenticate the bill only after the HoR passes it. The bill would then be published in the gazette and come into force. "Now the ball will be in the new parliament’s court as to whether to pass the bill without any changes or not," the ministry clarified.

Photo: SST

According to DoT, Everest climbers are now only entitled to pay the revised royalty (USD 15,000 per foreign climber for Everest) to obtain climbing permits for mountains; the rest remains the same as in the past.

The Expedition Operators Association Nepal will lead the rope-fixing task by mobilizing trained Nepali climbers above Camp II on Mt Everest, while the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) will fix the route from Base Camp to Camp II this season.

SPCC’s Chief Executive Officer, Tshering Sherpa, said that icefall doctors are being trained to prepare for fixing the route on Mt. Everest in the spring season. "We are also consulting with the expedition operators and concerned officials on how the mandatory poop bag provision should be implemented to make Everest clean in the spring climbing season," Sherpa shared.

Nepal Mountaineering Association President Phur Gelje Sherpa said that the implementation of the 7,000m prerequisite rule on Everest anytime soon is just a rumor and that no impact has been seen on genuine high-altitude rescue work following the arrest of a few heli-rescue charter service operators.

"NMA is also coordinating with the mountaineering and expedition operators for the proper management of the spring climbing season," Sherpa said, urging climbers from around the world to come to Nepal for a lifetime adventure experience.