The days for giant dome tents, massage parlours, yoga areas and en-suite toilets at Everest Base Camp may be numbered as Nepalese authorities vow to crack down on sprawling luxury facilities clogging the area.
Wealthy climbers were able to enjoy increasingly luxurious facilities at Base Camp, paying tens of thousands of pounds for expeditions that promised large tents equipped with comfortable beds, armchairs and even flat-screen televisions. Mountaineering companies are competing to offer ever more luxurious facilities to their wealthy clients.
This is a far cry from when Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary first climbed Everest in 1953 and the New Zealander observed that “life can be pretty miserable when you’re climbing to high altitudes.”
Nepali authorities say glamping is out of control and they are drafting new rules that will crack down on the more luxurious end of the mountaineering market. They specifically focus on the size of tents allowed.
The regulations were drawn up by locals of the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality, which has jurisdiction over Everest Base Camp and other camps in the region.
They want to limit the size of tents allowed, particularly large communal dining tents and toilets attached to individual tents.
The number of tents that expedition companies can pitch will also be reduced in an effort to reduce the size of Base Camp, a massive settlement sprawled across rock, snow and ice.
Dawa Steven, a British-trained sherpa, environmental activist and expedition leader, told adventure website ExplorersWeb: “I share local people’s concerns about the future of the Everest region. [They] We’re trying to curb waste at Base Camp.
Locals want the use of helicopters to transport equipment and climbers not only to Base Camp but also to Camps 2 and 3, which leads to the 29,032 ft (8,848 m) high summit of Everest, to be prevented.
According to the new rules, helicopters will only be allowed for the rescue of climbers in difficulty and the emergency evacuation of those with altitude sickness or injuries.
Officials hope that with helicopter flights restricted, expeditions will have to revert to the old method of sending supplies into the mountains: yaks.
“The aim is to spread the economic benefits to local yak herders and porters,” said Mr Steven, who is also secretary of the Expedition Operators Association.
“The practice of yak herding is slowly disappearing due to lack of incentives. This also creates other problems such as having less yak dung for cooking and heating.”
Above the tree line in the Himalayas, yak dung is the main fuel source for villagers.
But some critics fear the new rules could bring their own problems.
One of the biggest hurdles is that by the time the Everest climbing season is about to begin, many climbers have already paid for their expeditions and may be disappointed to find that the level of luxury they were looking forward to has dropped significantly.
Everest has also been plagued with a garbage problem for years; Tents, oxygen canisters, food containers and other equipment are left behind on climbing expeditions.
Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, a local environmental NGO, said 75 tonnes of waste, including more than 20,000kg of human faeces, were generated by expeditions during last year’s climbing season.
Last month, Nepal authorities decided that all climbers must carry their own waste from Everest using poop bags.
Thousands of bags will be available for purchase at Base Camp and will be checked when they return, officials said as they try to solve the unsightly and unhygienic problem caused by climbers defecating in the open air. The bags contain chemicals that solidify human waste and render it largely odorless.
These are known as Wag bags, which stands for Waste Reduction and Gelation. Authorities also want to ensure that the bodies of climbers who died while ascending or descending Everest are disposed of appropriately. Expedition companies will be responsible for retrieving the bodies of climbers, guides, porters and sherpas.
The Nepalese army is preparing to launch an operation to recover bodies from Mount Everest and nearby Nuptse, a 25,790 ft (7,861 m) peak adjacent to Everest.
Nepal tourism department director Rakesh Gurung said: “Nepal army, in collaboration with local authorities, is preparing for the next mountain clearance campaign and at least five bodies are expected to be recovered from Everest and Nuptse. ”