2022 will be my 19th season of all-things Everest: 14 times providing coverage, another four seasons of actually climbing on Everest, and two years attempting Lhotse. I did similar coverage for the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons. In 2020, I did a fictitious Virtual Everest series available as an e-Book. I summited Everest on May 21, 2011, and have attempted Everest three other times – 2002, 2003, 2008, and Lhotse in 2015 and 2016.
2022 is my eighth year to blog, “How much does it cost to climb Mount Everest?” The COVID-19 pandemic took a massive toll on the world and tourism in particular. With the lockdowns and travel restrictions, mountaineering almost completely halted. Both Nepal and China closed Everest in 2020; however, China allowed a small team of around 30 nationals to climb from their side. In 2021, China again closed it to foreigners while Nepal pretended nothing was happening and issued a record number of permits to foreigners last year. I fully expect both Nepal to be open in 2022, but you never know with China, so if you have plans to climb on that side, have a backup plan.
So, how much does it cost to climb Mount Everest? As I’ve said for years, the short answer is a car, but the prices have skyrocketed, so now it’s a lovely car. Most people pay between $40,000 and $50,000, and some will pay as much as $160,000! But, the prices are going up, and I don’t know where it will stop. So if you are on a tight climbing budget, go as soon as your skills, experience, and checkbook can support a safe attempt.
Here we go with a long and detailed look at Everest 2022. As always, if you see a mistake or want to add something, please let me know. Click here to subscribe for notifications of new blog posts.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
The Podcast on alanarnette.com
You can listen to this post as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, YouTube, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.
