Tibet seeks to promote safety on Mount Qomolangma climb

The government of southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region is prioritizing mountaineering safety through its management system, according to a statement from the regional government Friday.

As stated in the latest report from the local mountaineering association, Mount Qomolangma‘s spring climbing season – also known as Mount Everest – this year received 142 foreign climbers from 33 countries, 12 domestic climbers, and 208 Nepali Sherpa mountaineering guides.

A total of 241 climbers, including 94 from overseas, 12 from China, 108 Nepali mountaineering guides, 21 domestic mountaineering guides, and six domestic climbing path maintenance workers, made it to the summit of the world’s tallest mountain, according to the association.

The association, which is affiliated to the Tibet Sports Bureau, said two climbers became the victims of this year’s spring climbing on the north slope of Mount Qomolangma in the region’s Dingri county.

These casualties were caused by physical discomfort during the climbing process, according to the bureau.

“Mountaineering is a high-risk sport, and safety is the priority,” said Pema Trinley, the association’s deputy director.

The region’s mountaineering safety measures include controlling climbing numbers, limiting the climbing season, strict requirements of admission, and maintaining climbing paths.

“For safety concerns, we have been adopting some efficient measures from years ago. For 2017 we only allowed climbers for mountaineering on Mount Qomolangma in spring, closing in autumn,” said Trinley, who also serves as the association’s deputy secretary.

“Controlling the number of climbers on the Qomolangma is another key measure we perform to guarantee mountaineering safety and ecological protection at the same time,” he said.

Within the last few years, the overall number of received climbers remained steady, with 181 people in 2014, 376 in 2015, 274 in 2016, 336 in 2017, 283 in 2018, and 362 in 2019, according to the association.

“Strict requirements for admission are other professional measures we use for safety. Anyone without the experience of climbing mountains above 8,000 meters and without the adequate capability for independent climbing is not allowed climb Mount Qomolangma,” Trinley said.

Source: China Daily                                                      Update: 4 April, 2019