"We have decided to cancel Everest expeditions for this year also as the team of icefall doctors and the SPCC have officially said that they are unlikely to set up the route in time, going by the situation at Base Camp and the Khumbu Icefall following the major earthquake on April 25," said Tulsi Prasad Gautam, director general of the Department of Tourism (DoT).
Avalanches at Everest after the earthquake and aftershocks have made Everest expeditions far riskier. An avalanche killed 19 climbers, including five foreign nationals, many were injured, and the routes that had been set up destroyed.
According to DoT, the icefall doctors responsible for setting up the route up to camp II have turned back, saying it is difficult to set up the route in time for this season and the team responsible for setting up the route above camp II has also started turning back.
"We have advised MoCTCA and stakeholders not to take further risks and to halt expeditions for this season. It is good to know that the government has decided to cancel the Everest expeditions," said Ang Dorjee Sherpa, chairman of SPCC.
SPCC, in a statement issued Tuesday, said that it cannot take the risk of setting up a route in the current situation. It said the decision has been taken on the basis of various factors such lack of time to establish the route to Camp II for this season, the prospects of an early monsoon making climbing impossible and lack of adequate equipment and supplies.
SPCC has said that even if they set up the route till Camp II, the team responsible for setting up the route above camp II told SPCC they do not have sufficient equipment and human resources for rope-fixing.
"In most spring seasons, climbers would already have been approaching the South Col by now but this year the expeditions were delayed," said Sherpa, adding that now it won't be possible to set up the route in the limited time and press onwards.
In addition, many climbers have already called off their expeditions and many icefall doctors and Sherpas have returned home as many have lost family members killed and suffered property damage.
According to SPCC, all medical teams, including the Himalayan Rescue Association, have already left Base Camp for this season, and it will be riskier to carry on without medical support as the risk of aftershocks and icefall is increasing.
"Now that we have stopped fixing the route, we have given priority to removing avalanche debris from the camps. It will take a couple of weeks for us to clear the debris," said Sherpa.
This year, DoT had given permits to 340 foreigners and 18 Nepalis, including 118 permits carried over from last year, and earned Rs 375 million in royalties. Last year Everest expeditions were called off after an avalanche on April 18 killed 16 guides. The government had extended last year's permits for five years.
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