Nepal will require climbers to use a tracking chip when climbing Everest

MyGoodImages/Depositphotos

Nepal has announced a new requirement for climbers planning to climb Mount Everest: they must use tracking chips during the journey. If necessary, this should speed up search and rescue operations.

This requirement was announced by the authorities on the eve of the new climbing season on the highest mountain in the world, the height of which is 8,849 meters. writes CNN. Tourists will have to rent chips.

“Well-known companies were already using them, but now it’s mandatory for all climbers.” said Rakesh Gurung, director of Nepal’s tourism department.

Tracking chips use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to communicate with satellites.

They will pay 10-15 dollars for the rental of chips, which will be sewn into the climbers’ jackets. At the end of the trip, the chip will be removed and saved for the next person.

Gurung added that the chips were made in a “European country,” but did not specify where.

Eight of the ten highest peaks in the world are located in Nepal, so the country receives significant income from tourism. Most people who attempt to climb Everest also do so through Nepal.

Each tourist pays the state 11,000 dollars for a climbing permit. Adding to that the cost of renting gear, food, supplemental oxygen, Sherpa guides, etc., the climb costs more than $35,000. Last year, Nepal issued a record 478 climbing permits.

Climbing Everest can take up to two months. The most favorable weather for climbing to the top is usually in mid-May.

Rescue on the “roof of the world” is risky even under the best of circumstances.

“It is almost impossible to save climbers at such a height”, – says Bigyan Koirala, a representative of the Department of Tourism.

Last year, 12 climbers were confirmed dead on the mountain, five more are missing.

We will remind, scientists discovered mutations in the genes of the inhabitants of Tibet and the Andes Mountains, which allow them to live at extreme altitudes.