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Nepal May Tighten Rules for Climbing Everest After Deaths

Officials may make it harder for rookies to get permits.

After a wave of deaths and overcrowding on Mount Everest, Nepal officials said Wednesday they may tighten the rules on who can climb the world’s highest peak. “It’s time to review all the old laws,” Parliament member Yagya Raj Sunuwar told The New York Times. Mira Acharya, a senior official with the tourism department, told the newspaper that authorities are concerned about inexperienced climbers trying to reach the summit and are discussing “setting criteria for every Everest hopeful.’’ There have been 11 recorded deaths during this climbing season, including two Americans. Many veteran climbers have blamed an influx of rookies for adding to already dangerous conditions.