Nepal Hikes Fee for Everest Climbers

JAN 23·Updated JAN 24

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Above: Mountaineers descending from the summit of Mount Everest, Nepal, June 2021. Image credit: Lakpa Sherpa/AFP/Contributor via Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

While this is a steep hike in prices, the move has been anticipated since last year and will likely do little to dissuade those wanting to climb the world's highest peak, which was already a prohibitively expensive endeavor before this development.

Guardian

Narrative B

Amid reports that climbing Mount Everest is becoming too congested, and with litter becoming an increasing issue on the mountain, this move by the Nepalese government is a pragmatic way of both enriching the nation (which has long catered to Western tourism), and making the issues associated with popular hiking regions more manageable.

Independent