Everest 2008: What is going on?? North (Tibet) Side Closed till May 10th, Nepal Ministry of Tourism Meeting Today..

Yesterday news was released that China will be banning teams from attempting to summit Mt. Everest before May 10th on the North (Tibet).  Essentially this puts all expeditions hoping for a north summit this season on hold.  With acclimatization factors and now a very narrow window to try to claim a summit, many are starting to realize that the North may be next to impossible.

This issue has raised many questions.  I have been contacted by many people wanting more information:  Are there still going to be teams on the North?  If you are on a team, what do we do?  Can the members get their money back?  Can permits be switched to the South (Nepal) side of Everest?  On and on..

I hate to say this, but to be perfectly honest, as far as the press on this situation goes, little is being said at this point other than China has put policies in place that will be severely hampering expeditions on the North side of Mt. Everest this season.  I spoke at some length about this yesterday.  (you may read this post HERE)  The only advice I can give you is to contact your expedition company for further information regarding this matter.

After clammoring around in the online world, I have come across a couple of interesting pieces.  As far as new information goes, EverestNews put up a small piece today that mentioned the following:

“China is pressuring Nepal to close Everest to climbers before May 10th also. We understand the Nepal Ministry of Tourism tomorrow morning is having a high ranking meeting in Katmandu at the Ministry. Hopefully an announcement will follow soon afterwards…”

Now we know Nepal is having a meeting.  Not sure what about.  Either they will allow more expeditions a shorter grace period to obtain a permit or..this is a big OR and purely speculation…they could follow in Tibet’s footsteps.  We know they are being pressured.  They have also refused to comply with the pressure as of yet.

At one point though, we also thought a deal had been worked out with Tibet.  This piece goes back a bit to the end of last season.  Rumors were being circulated that China might try to close down Mt. Everest.  Ang Tshering Sherpa, head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, had this to say at the time, through a press release:

“First of all, there are many rumors circulating in our national and international media that Mt. Everest will be closed to climb from the Tibet side. These rumors are FALSE. They will also not limit the number of expeditions in 2008.

However, their major concern is that their Olympic expedition runs smoothly, safely and with no problems. To ensure that this will be the case they will be strictly vetting each and every expedition so that they will only have “quality” expeditions. There are three main criteria that they will require the expeditions to fulfill to climb Mt. Everest from the Tibet side in 2008.

At the meeting I also put forward the growing problem of safety and security (theft) on the mountain. CTMA has agreed to take stern action against any individual or group found to be involved in theft or misconduct. They are now working out how to implement this. It is very likely that they will install extra Liaison officers at Advanced Base Camp. NMA and the concerned Nepali authorities fully support this move. I hope this will finally solve this ugly and embarrassing problem.

Furthermore, since Asian Trekking is the official GSA for CTMA, CTMA has asked me at this event to be their mouthpiece to forward any news and updates regarding mountaineering in Tibet, China. It will be my great pleasure and privilege to keep the mountaineering community informed. To update and keep the proper record of mountaineering activities both the organization will exchange efficiently and effectively with close co-operation.”

I have tried to contact the Nepal Mountaineering Association for more information regarding the last couple of day’s news.  I am sure everyone is trying to rush around and that little if anything else is known at this time.

MountEverest.net  has also put up a couple of new pieces today.  Both pieces hit on the “Tibet” factor.  “Closing Everest-What China Fears Most” focuses in on the real reason China has closed the North side of Everest, while “Everest North Side Climber-how well do you know China” goes in to some reasons on why not to like China or the Chinese Press–both interesting.

Other news and articles of interest:

China Fears Everest of Tibetan Protests Ahead of Olympics–by way of Asia Pacific News

Protest Inside Tibet Captured on Tourists’ Cameras–by way of BoingBoing.net

Tibet Flag tops Chinese Consulate–by way of Students For a Free Tibet

By the way, that last article is from a Blog that seems to have an inside scoop on the protests and political uncertainty of the region–could be interesting to follow, even if you don’t feel the same as they do–