A new law draft in Nepal aims to improve safety and shrink crowding by limiting Everest permits to climbers who have climbed at least one of the 7,000-metre (22,965-foot) Himalayan nation's peaks.

Nepal, which is largely reliant on climbing, trekking¹ and tourism for foreign cash, has faced censure² for allowing too many climbers, especially novice³ ones, to try to ascend⁴ the 8,849-metre (29,032 ft) peak.



This often results in long queues of climbers in the 'death Zone', an area below the summit with insufficient⁵ natural oxygen for survival.

Overcrowding has been blamed for the high number of deaths on the mountain. At least 12 climbers died, and another five went missing on Everest's slopes in 2023 when Nepal issued 478 permits. Eight climbers died last year.