839 foreign climbers from 69 countries arrive for autumn mountaineering

A total of 839 foreign climbers from 69 countries have arrived in Nepal for this year’s autumn mountaineering According to the Department of Tourism, permits have been issued for expeditions to 37 peaks, excluding Mount Everest, as of Wednesday (Oct 17)

This autumn, 31 expeditions have received permits to climb four peaks over 8,000 meters: Manaslu, Dhaulagiri, Makalu, and Cho Oyu. The remaining expeditions are focused on smaller mountains. A total of 111 teams, including Nepali and foreign climbers, will cover routes from Api Himal in the west to Makalu in the east.

Among the climbers, 668 are men (29 from Nepal) and 202 are women (2 from Nepal). The Department of Tourism has collected NPR 63.5 million in permit fees so far.

The highest number of climbers this season comes from the United States (73), followed by China (72), France (69), Russia (61), Germany (56), the Czech Republic (47), Japan (45), the United Kingdom (42), Spain (38), Switzerland (36), and India (15). Additionally, climbers from 59 other countries have joined the expeditions.

Last year, 1,326 climbers—260 women and 1,066 men—obtained permits for 52 mountains, generating NPR 78.4 million in fees. 

Nepal has opened 404 peaks, including Mount Everest, for mountaineering, though 51 of them remain unclimbed. The country offers three climbing seasons annually: spring, autumn, and winter.