Nepal has sharply increased Everest climbing permit fees and introduced a slew of measures aimed at controlling garbage pollution and preventing accidents on the planet’s tallest peak.

Under the revised rules, every two climbers must hire a guide to climb any mountain over 8,000 metres, including Everest.

The revisions, which were approved in the Cabinet meeting on January 8, will soon be published in the Nepal Gazette.

Under the revised mountaineering regulations, the royalty fee for foreigners climbing Everest from the normal south route in the spring season (March-May) has been raised to $15,000 from the current $11,000 per person.

The autumn season (September-November) climbing fee has increased from $5,500 to $7,500. At the same time, the permit cost per individual for the winter (December-February) and monsoon (June-August) seasons has risen from $2,750 to $3,750.

The new rates will take effect on September 1, 2025.

The last royalty fee revision was made on January 1, 2015, when the government switched from a group-based system to a uniform fee of $11,000 per climber for the spring season from the normal route.

For Nepali climbers, the royalty fee for the normal route during the spring climbing season has doubled from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000.

Climbing permits, previously valid for 75 days, will now be limited to 55 days. The reduced validity is aimed at streamlining climbing activities.

“Bookings already confirmed for the spring 2025 expedition will not be affected by this change,” said Indu Ghimire, a joint secretary at the Tourism Ministry.

According to Ghimire, the regulations have focused on garbage management, social security for high-altitude workers, and boosting government revenue.

As per the amended rules, from the upcoming spring season, Everest climbers will be required to bring their poop back to base camp for proper disposal. Climbers must carry biodegradable bags to collect waste in the upper reaches.

Base camps typically have designated toilet tents with barrels to collect human waste during expeditions. However, in higher camps, only a few agencies provide similar facilities, while others rely on pits. Very few climbers use biodegradable bags to transport waste from the summit.

Last spring, the local government of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality enforced the use of biodegradable waste bags as part of its initiative to address the garbage issue. It sold 1,700 poop bags. This initiative has now been mandatory for climbers scaling peaks over 8,000 metres.

Mandatory waste collection is part of a broader effort to address environmental degradation in the Everest region.

Climbers have long relied on unsustainable practices, accumulating garbage, including discarded oxygen canisters, abandoned tents, food packaging, and human waste in one of the world’s most iconic places.

Such practices have tarnished the region’s natural beauty and created health hazards for local communities.

According to the new rules, climbers are barred from carrying items not listed in their permit documentation issued by the Department of Tourism.

Paragliding is permitted from mountains above 8,000 metres but only during descents and with prior authorisation.

The government has also hiked the insurance coverage for high-altitude workers.

Insurance coverage for high-altitude guides has gone up to Rs2 million ($14,400) from Rs1.5 million ($10,800), and for base camp workers, it has been raised to Rs1.5 million ($10,800) from Rs800,000 ($5,760).

The increased insurance coverage aims to provide better security to the Sherpas and other support staff who take on big risks while helping climbers. These workers often face harsh conditions and receive little recognition or protection despite their indispensable contributions to successful expeditions.

The amended rules have permitted rescue teams and cleaning campaign members to collect garbage and dead bodies up to Camp IV of Everest without paying fees.

They, however, have been barred from venturing into the death zone without a permit.

During last year’s spring climbing season, 421 permits were issued for fee-paying individuals. Around 600 climbers, including 200 foreigners, reached the summit, with nearly 2,000 people assembling at the base camp. Eight climbers lost their lives, and the expeditions generated an estimated 100 tonnes of waste.

The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) reported collecting 85 tonnes of waste from the Everest region during the spring climbing season 2024.

This included 27.99 tonnes of burnable garbage, 7.51 tonnes of recyclable waste, 27.53 tonnes of human waste, and 14.15 tonnes of kitchen waste. Additionally, the Nepal Army removed over 11 tonnes of garbage.

According to experts, the alarming volume of waste collected each season underscores the urgent need for sustainable mountaineering practices.

Climate change exacerbates the waste problem by melting snow and ice, exposing previously buried garbage and human remains.

These pollutants contaminate the watershed, posing significant health risks to local communities.

Before the spring climbing season last year, the Supreme Court issued a mandamus order directing the government to regulate the rising number of expeditions on the world’s tallest mountain.

A division bench of justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Sushma Lata Mathema ordered the government to issue climbing permits only after specifying the number of climbers that can be safely accommodated.

The court order followed increasing traffic jams on the world’s highest peak and the trash people leave on its slopes. Everest has even been called the ‘world's highest garbage dump’.

According to the Himalayan Database, which records all expeditions and deaths in the Himalayas, more than 200 people died on the Nepal side of Everest between 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa first scaled the peak, and 2022.

Nepal’s tourism ministry started documenting Everest incidents in 1922 when seven Sherpa climbers died in an avalanche, marking the first reported deaths on the tallest mountain. But it has no archive of those who lost their lives on the icy slopes.

Nearly 8,900 people have summited the world's highest peak from Nepal’s side since 1953.