5 Best Prerequisites Before Climbing Mount Everest

Excited to know about the prerequisites before climbing Mount Everest? It is the dream of many athletes to compete in the Olympics. Likewise for mountaineers, climbing Everest is their ultimate dream, more like winning the Olympics for the country. Like any other dream, summiting Everest is not easy, in fact, it’s one of the hardest jobs and dangerous passions to follow. Most of the tourists visit Everest Valley to see the majestic sighting of the gigantic and enchanting Everest (Sagarmatha) while others go to summit it.

Climbing Everest used to be a historic and proud moment for mountaineers. But recently many climbers try to reach it to show off which has led to many deaths and casualties. To prevent such deaths Nepal government has imposed certain rules and regulations that every climber must follow and abide by. First of all, the climbers have to take a climbing permit from the government if they wish to go beyond Advance Base Camp.

If you are an experienced climber you can choose to travel alone or as part of a team. Climbing Everest is hard and expensive. It will cost you around $11,000 to climb Everest if you have all the necessary documents. The permit fees alone cost around 10 to 11 thousand dollars excluding the rest of the expenses including guides, equipment, and more. Getting a permit is like getting a visa which you can get only after meeting some prerequisites asked by the Nepal government.

Prerequisites Before Climbing Mount Everest

1) Experience

You need to climb at least one mountain with a height above 21,325 ft (6500 meters) in Nepal before climbing Everest. This is to make sure the climber is experienced enough and has the stamina to reach the top of the world. This rule has helped save many lives in Everest in the last decade or so. Besides that, the climber must be fit and healthy without any life-threatening disease like blood pressure, heart problems, etc. 8848.86 meters is still way higher and harder to reach than 6500 meters, and hence climbers have to undergo some vital mountaineering training, supervised by the experts. This is one of the most important prerequisites before climbing Mount Everest.

2) Rescue insurance

Rescue Insurance is one of the major prerequisites before climbing Mount Everest. A lot of people have died on Everest. The weather in Everest is harsh and unpredictable. So, for obvious reasons, Nepal Government demands climbers to have ‘Rescue Insurance’ in case of disasters and accidents like avalanches should occur. The insurance will cover any sort of rescue, normal or emergency, for climbers stuck in the mountains. A lot of companies will charge various amounts for the rescue mission. But the average cost for this insurance is about 400-500 USD. A Heli-rescue, however, may cost you up to $10,000. The insurance validation period may last from months to a year depending on the type of insurance you choose to opt for.

3) Hire a Guide – Sherpas!

Everest valley is dominated by the Sherpas community. They are the best guide one can ask for having so much experience and expertise in the Mountaineering field since childhood. Don’t get surprised if you find a village full of mountaineers having successfully climbed Mount Everest multiple times. So, for every team, there has to be a Sherpa guide for the expedition. This is only for the economic development of the Everest area and its community as tourism is the main source of income in the region.

On average hiring, a Sherpa guide can cost you around $4000-$5000, who is also responsible to carry your goods and surplus equipment. Without Sherpas, people can hardly reach the summit, it’s not impossible but almost impossible. Sherpas are responsible to make a path for the new or old climbers, carry their goods, rescue them when needed, giving instructions, and guiding them to the summit.

4) Check for updated rules and regulations.

Before applying for the permit or coming to Everest, make sure you are up-to-date with the updated rules and regulations imposed by the Nepal Government for the safety of climbers and the environment. The safety and well-being of an individual are the utmost priority during any expedition. The rules and regulations are there to save your life and to save the environment. So, respecting such rules is not too much to ask for.

5) Climbers below 18 years and above 75 years are barred from summiting the Everest

The youngest person to climb Everest is 13 years and the oldest to the summit is above 80 years. So, what about the rules? Well, there are always some exceptions. Those people who made the history and record were some extraordinary people having so much experience and perfect health condition to do so. It might have taken them months and years before they could convince the guides and Government for the permit. But if you are below 18 or above 75, you might find it almost impossible to get the permit now that the rules are even stricter.

You can find more advice for climbing Everest on the official page of the Department of Immigration.