China reopens Mount Everest access to foreigners

By Lilit Marcus, CNN

Published 10:47 PM EDT, Wed April 3, 2024

Everest is known as Qomolangma ("holy mother") in Tibetan.

CNN —

For the first time since the pandemic, China is allowing foreign climbers to access Mount Everest via Tibet.

Adrian Ballinger, who has summited Everest eight times, is one of the Western guides who prefers the Tibet route to the top of the world’s tallest mountain (from the north), as opposed to the more well-known Nepal route (from the south). This year, he will lead a group of climbers through his company, Alpenglow Expeditions.

Rather than a tourism official or council in Beijing, all passes to use the Chinese route up the mountain, which is known in China as Qomolangma, are distributed by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA).

There is also no official announcement released by the Chinese government notifying the public that passes will be given out.

As a result, says Ballinger, the best way for a non-Chinese climber to know that the Tibet side of Everest will be open is when the CTMA sends out a price list for the season. These lists include the costs of yaks (which carry gear up and down the mountain), local guides, translators and transport from Tibet’s capital of Lhasa to Everest Base Camp.

Foreigners who obtain tourist visas to China must get an additional, separate visa for Tibet, which is a semi-autonomous region. The CTMA assists with this for climbers.

There are a maximum of 300 permits available annually for non-Chinese climbers.

The window to climb Everest is small – usually between late April and mid-May. Ballinger’s team will arrive in China on April 25 after pre-acclimatizing at home to save time.

Competition at the top of the world

While Nepal has the more famous and more photographed path to the peak of Everest, the greater number of visitors correlates to more trash, more erosion and more human waste.

However, this wasn’t always the case.

“Climbing from the Chinese side used to be more popular than climbing from the Nepali side. So from about 2000 to 2007, the Chinese side was the more popular side, and it was commonly understood that the reason it was more popular is because it was safer,” explains Ballinger.

So what changed?

In 2008, China hosted the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Before arriving in the capital, the Olympic Flame traveled to Everest, despite the fact that there were already groups of tourists ready to tackle the world’s highest peak.

“Eight days before we all arrived on the mountain in 2008, they shut down the mountain for the entire season, and a lot of people lost a lot of money,” says Ballinger. “And because of that decision, the business shifted to the Nepali side in that year.”

Now, with foreign climbers able to access Everest via the northern route through Tibet for the first time since 2020, that trend may slowly begin to reverse.

China reopens Mount Everest access to foreigners

中国重新向外国人开放珠穆拉玛峰

For the first time since the pandemic, China is allowing foreign climbers to access Mount Everest via Tibet.

自疫情以来，中国首次允许外国登山者经由西藏登上珠穆朗玛峰。

Adrian Ballinger, who has summited Everest eight times, is one of the Western guides who prefers the Tibet route to the top of the world’s tallest mountain (from the north), as opposed to the more well-known Nepal route (from the south). This year, he will lead a group of climbers through his company, Alpenglow Expeditions.

Adrian Ballinger曾8次登顶珠穆拉玛峰，是西方导游之一，他更喜欢从西藏路线登顶世界上最高的山峰（从北边），而不是更著名的尼泊尔路线（从南边）。今年，他将通过他的公司Alpenglow Expeditions带领一群登山者。

Rather than a tourism official or council in Beijing, all passes to use the Chinese route up the mountain, which is known in China as Qomolangma, are distributed by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA).

所有使用中国登山路线（在中国被称为珠穆朗玛）的通行证都由中国西藏登山协会而不是由北京的旅游官员或委员会发放。

There is also no official announcement released by the Chinese government notifying the public that passes will be given out.

中国也没有发布官方公告告知公众将发放通行证。

As a result, says Ballinger, the best way for a non-Chinese climber to know that the Tibet side of Everest will be open is when the CTMA sends out a price list for the season. These lists include the costs of yaks (which carry gear up and down the mountain), local guides, translators and transport from Tibet’s capital of Lhasa to Everest Base Camp.

因此，Ballinger说，对于非中国的登山者来说，想知道珠穆拉玛峰西藏一侧将要开放的最好的方法就是CTMA发布季节的价格清单。这些清单包括牦牛（用于携带装备上山下山）、当地导游、翻译以及从西藏省会拉萨到珠峰大本营的交通费用。

Foreigners who obtain tourist visas to China must get an additional, separate visa for Tibet, which is a semi-autonomous region. The CTMA assists with this for climbers.

对于拿到中国旅游签的外国人，还需要拿到另外一项西藏的独立的签证，西藏是半自治区。CTMA会协助登山者。

There are a maximum of 300 permits available annually for non-Chinese climbers.

非中国登山者每年最多可获得300张许可证。

The window to climb Everest is small – usually between late April and mid-May. Ballinger’s team will arrive in China on April 25 after pre-acclimatizing at home to save time.

攀登珠穆拉玛峰的时间窗口很小，通常从四月末到五月中旬。为了节省时间，Ballinger的团队将在国内进行预适应后于4月25日抵达中国。

Competition at the top of the world

世界之巅的竞争

While Nepal has the more famous and more photographed path to the peak of Everest, the greater number of visitors correlates to more trash, more erosion and more human waste.

虽然尼泊尔有更著名、更好摄影的珠峰之路，但游客数量的增加也带来了更多的垃圾、更多的侵蚀和更多的人类排泄物。

However, this wasn’t always the case.

然而，情况并非总是如此。

“Climbing from the Chinese side used to be more popular than climbing from the Nepali side. So from about 2000 to 2007, the Chinese side was the more popular side, and it was commonly understood that the reason it was more popular is because it was safer,” explains Ballinger.

“过去，从中国一侧登山比从尼泊尔一侧登山更受欢迎。从大约2000年到2007年，中国一侧是更受欢迎的一侧，人们普遍认为中国一侧更受欢迎是因为更安全”，Ballinger解释道。

So what changed?

所以发生了什么变化？

In 2008, China hosted the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Before arriving in the capital, the Olympic Flame traveled to Everest, despite the fact that there were already groups of tourists ready to tackle the world’s highest peak.

2008年，中国在北京举办了夏季奥运会。奥运圣火在抵达首都之前，曾前往珠穆朗玛峰，尽管已经有大批游客准备攀登世界最高峰。

“Eight days before we all arrived on the mountain in 2008, they shut down the mountain for the entire season, and a lot of people lost a lot of money,” says Ballinger. “And because of that decision, the business shifted to the Nepali side in that year.”

“2008年，在我们到达这座山的八天前，他们关闭了这座山整整一个季节，很多人损失了很多钱”，Ballinger说道，“由于这一决定，业务在那一年转向了尼泊尔方面”。

Now, with foreign climbers able to access Everest via the northern route through Tibet for the first time since 2020, that trend may slowly begin to reverse.

现在，随着外国登山者自2020年以来首次能够通过西藏北部路线登上珠穆朗玛峰，这一趋势可能会慢慢开始逆转。