Fees to climb Everest are about to get a lot more expensive. One veteran says that won't keep people off the mountain.
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- The cost of a permit to climb Mount Everest will soon jump by 36%.
- A permit for the spring season will cost $15,000, up from $11,000.
- A veteran mountaineer says new prices will have little impact on people's desire to climb Everest.
Conquering Mount Everest is no easy feat for the body, mind — and the bank account.
Nepal plans to increase the price of Everest climbing permits by about 36% in the first rise for almost a decade.
Narayan Prasad Regmi, the director-general of Nepal's tourism department, told Reuters the fees "had not been reviewed for a long time. We have updated them now."
From September 1, foreigners must pay $15,000 for a climbing permit for the spring season, up from $11,00.
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Permits for the less popular autumn and winter seasons will rise from $5,500 to $7,500 and $2,750 to $3,750 respectively.
The increases may be aimed at boosting Nepal's revenues, but if the intention is also to reduce the number of climbers on Everest, veteran mountaineers like Jake Meyer say it will have little impact.
Business Insider previously reported on the growing discontent in Nepal about the volume of climbers on Everest and all the trash they leave behind.
In 2024, officials began requiring climbers to carry poop bags while scaling the mountain.
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"Chances are that the price increases are extremely unlikely to reduce numbers on the mountain," Meyer, who has climbed Everest twice, told Business Insider via email. "There remains an ever-increasing interest by 'climbers' from across the globe to attempt to summit the highest mountain in the world."
Meyer, who compares the costs of climbing Everest to "buying a new car," also said the price hikes may seem significant but only represent "an equivalent average increase of 3.5% a year over the last 10 years."
As the full cost of Everest expeditions can range from $40,000 to $150,000, he said new permit prices might only raise the total price of the cheapest expeditions by 10%.
Meyer added: "What is still very clear is that the 'cheaper' your ticket to climb, the higher the likelihood of death." That's a reference to the number of deaths over the past two years involving climbers or guides on relatively cheaper expeditions.
"The sad reality is that it's often the most inexperienced climbers who sign up for lowest-cost services, which are the ones which essentially require the most self-sufficiency."