Evidently, Mount Everest’s destruction by tourism can’t come fast enough for the Nepalese government. According to CNN:
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Nepal will slash climbing fees for Mount Everest in the off-season to lure mountaineers to the world’s tallest peak and boost tourism hit by years of a Maoist conflict.
… the giant mountain remains virtually deserted in the autumn and winter.
“We want to give incentives to off-season climbers to go to Mount Everest,” Tourism Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung told Reuters in an interview.
“We are working on proposals to give a 50 percent royalty cut in the autumn and 75 percent during the winter climbing seasons.”
Given that Everest is difficult enough to climb in the “temperate” season, why on earth would anyone – let alone amateurs – be stupid enough to attempt it in the winter just to save a few bucks?
More importantly: does Everest really need more tourism?