Everest 2015: The Cost to Climb Everest
This post was first created in December 2014 anticipating the Everest 2105 spring season. I will updated it in late 2015 for the 2016 season, but you can be assured prices are increasing dramatically from what is covered in this article! Many climbers will be in for sticker shock as prices have dramatically increased for 2015. Also, the North side will see much more activity as some operators have fled the south after the strange policies and actions of the Nepal government and some Sherpas. If you value this post and find the ads interesting, clicking on them will help support this site. The Big Picture For 2015, costs have once again increased pushing the prices higher on both sides, especially for the low cost operators. There are several drivers for the price increases. First the permit cost has gone up, not down as advertised by the Ministry. It is now a flat $11,000 per climber instead of $70,000 for a team of 7 or $10,000 per climber. Second, after the tragic deaths of 16 mountain workers in 2014, many companies will increase the life insurance required by the Ministry. It is now USD$15K up from USD$10K for what they call High Altitude Workers. Most operators will abide by these new levels but it is unclear if the requirement will be enforced evenly across the board and those competing on price will meet the requirement. The third reason for increased costs is inflation. Nepal’s inflation rate is currently 9.47%. Additionally, Nepal has implemented a new rule that requires every foreign climber in Nepal to hire a local Sherpa Guide. This policy has been in place for trekkers since 2012 but not enforced. After the large number of trekker deaths in the Annapurna region earlier this year, the policy was re-communicated. I remain unclear if it will really be enforced in 2015 for Everest climbers but if so, will add a minimum of $4,000 to the absolute lowest cost. Many non-Nepali operators are adding additional guides and services to their offering. Each Western Guide can make between $10K and $25K and this cost is passed on to the members. Some companies are adding European chefs, adding to costs. Some are offering extra oxygen starting lower, adding to costs. In the end, this is real money and the member pays the tab. Those at the high-end have again held their prices steady absorbing the increases. The average price of the companies I surveyed looks to be about $41,700 with no Western Guide and $57,000 on the south with Western Guides and $46,000 on the north. The primary difference between north and south are the permit costs and support staff salaries. The North has seen dramatic prices variances for 2015 with high-end operators of Alpenglow ($79,000) and Himex ($64,000) entering the market and skewing averages. The traditional north operators average about $37,000. A Change is Coming But this is the real story: Nepal operators are taking over Everest from the south side. They are offering credible support at lower prices than non-Nepali operators. Asian Trekking has been doing this well for years. Other local operators include Monterosa, High Altitude Dreams, and Himalayan Ascent. The newest and major player today is Seven Summits Treks who reportedly had 98 members on Everest in 2013. They offer a good product but are reported to pay staff a lower wage than non-Nepali operators. Everest is no longer the sole domain of an affluent middle class in Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the US. It is now attractive to the same demographics in India, Nepal and China. These new members seem to be attracted to the lowest price and Nepali owned support thus creating demand for companies to meet that need. With Nepali companies offering Everest in the $25K-35K range and non-Nepali from $40K to $65K, the lines are being drawn. But there is a huge difference in what you get for these prices, it remains a er beware environment where selecting an unprepared operator (Nepali, non-Nepali, solo – all companies included) may mean your life. Clearly, each individual must go to Everest ready to be self sufficient with the proper skills, experience and attitude. People die each year assuming their guide will take care of them in a crisis. The end result is a continuation of the trend of Nepal based companies leading more Everest members than non-Nepali operators. Ten years ago non-Nepali operators lead 80% of the members up Everest, I predict in five years that will drop to 20%. This is one reason prices will continue to go up – more services at the top vs. a commodity offering at the bottom. Cost Influences There are real costs involved to climb Everest and it is not the place to save money. However, with guided expeditions charging from $30K to $100K, it is confusing. You can sometimes get a deal, but don’t count on it given the popularity of Everest. Most leading commercial guides sell out months in advance each year. The Nepal and Tibet governments control much of the costs today with permit fees and requirements on wages, insurance and ment of Sherpas, cooks and porters so a base price has been effectively established. There are three ways to climb Everest: put together your own expedition, join a logistics only expedition or join a fully guided team. Some climbers believe a solo expedition in the Messner 1980 north style is the way to save money; however the notion of a solo climb is somewhat academic today. Before the explosion of commercially organized guides with dedicated Sherpas, ropes and ladders; a climber could go to the mountain (usually the north) and climb alone without using any of the common support systems. Some people try these days but end up using a ladder someone else put across a crevasse or a cook at base camp thus never really making a true solo climb. The you can really achieve is without Sherpa support and still the costs
Nepal Continues to Play with Everest Climbers – Updated
In April of 2014, over 300 climbers saw their dreams of climbing Everest come short when the most deadly incident in the history of Everest brought an early end to the season. 16 mountain workers were killed from the release of an ice serac on the west shoulder of Everest onto the Khumbu Icefall. The resulting actions taken by some in the Sherpa community resulted in an effective cancellation of the season as they refused to support the member climbers. However, one climber, Jing Wang of China flew a helicopter to camp 2 and went on to summit with a small team of Sherpas. This tragic accident continues to have deep echoes throughout the Everest community. Operators are still adjusting prices, even with signed contracts in place with members with set prices. They are asking for more money to cover higher insurance polices for the mountain workers. Some operators are still unsure if they will switch to what is now perceived as a more politically stable north side for their spring 2015 expeditions. Others are offering climbs on both sides letting the members choose. One large question was if and how the Nepal government would follow through on their promise made in June of 2014 to honor climber’s Everest permits for 5 years. We now have an answer. Technically thee permits will be honored but practically they have been refused. Once again, the government is showing an amazing disdain for the very people who bring millions into their economy. As reported today in the Himalayan: the government issued a directive last month to extend by five years all group permits that were issued to Mt Everest expeditions during the last spring season. This effectively means that the same members of the expedition will have to scale Mt Everest together within the next five years. If even one member of an expedition scales the mountain, permits of others will be cancelled. This is an amazing twist on what should have been a simple gesture. It is practically impossible for the exact same people to come together under the same guide service. This is as absurd as the Nepal government saying Everest was “open” when the icefall was not being safely maintained last spring. However, when Jing Wang summited, albeit using helicopter assistance, the government proudly declared Everest was open in spite of initially chastising her for “illegally” using a helicopter. Later they gave her an award as they took her $30,000 “gift” for schools in Kathmandu. So, the net effect will be that anyone who had bought a permit for $10,000 for a spring 2014 Everest expedition will be forced to a new permit that now costs $11,000 if they want to attempt Everest from Nepal. On a slightly more pleasant note, a new company has announced WIFI service throughout the Khumbu including at Everest Base Camp. EverestLink announced: Everest Link is a fixed-wireless access service to the Internet. We operate our own wireless network. It is versatile, reliable and scalable. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Kathmandu. We offer our services in Lukla, Phakding, Monju, Sewangma, Namche,Thame, Tengboche, Pangboche, Dingboche, Pheriche, Lobuche, Gorekshep, Phortse, Dole, Macharmo, Gokyo, Shyangboche, Chomay go, Tawoche ri, Lobuche ri, Everest BC, Phanga ri, Thaknak ri and more in some areas. Access is available as low as US$2.33 a day. It will be interesting to see if this new system really works as thousands of climbers, support staff, mountain workers and trekkers gather next spring. Personally I would still carry a satellite phone as communicating back home to friends and family plus getting reliable weather reports are important to me. Update Nov 19, 2014 Nepal reverses the crazy Everest 2014 team requirement permit policy that required original team to climb together if they wanted to use their permit. Now individuals can use their 2014 permit once until 2019. Excellent decision by Nepal and puts them on a good track of respecting the customer. source Climb On! Alan
A Preview to Everest 2015
Everest 2015 starts a short six months from now when climbers arrive in Kathmandu or Lhasa to begin their attempt on the world’s highest mountain. I will cover the action as I have since 2002. This will be my 13th season of Everest: 9 times providing coverage and another 4 seasons of actually climbing on Everest. Look for extensive postings starting in early 2015. I did similar coverage for the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons. I summited Everest on May 21, 2011 and have climbed Everest four times – 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2011. My goal is to provide insight and analysis of what is going on up there with no favorites or agendas. I use sources directly from the mountain, public information and my own experiences to develop my posts. Usually I post once a day as the season gets started in early April and ramp up to almost hourly coverage during the intense summit pushes in mid to late May. I spend several hours a day to create these updates. You can sign up for (and cancel) notifications on the lower right sidebar or check the site frequently. Why do I do this? Well, one word : Alzheimer’s. I hope that you enjoy my coverage and make a donation to any of my selected non-profit partners as a tangible thank you. I never benefit financially from your donations. Just click on this button that is always on the top right sidebar. 2014 Update 2014 was the most deadly and unusual season in the history of Everest. 19 Sherpas died either from an avalanche off Everest’s West Shoulder or during other parts of the season. The season was effectively canceled and there was only one non-Sherpa to summit from the South side. Meanwhile it was business as usual on the North with about 125 summits. Everest was effectively closed in the spring of 2014 when the few young Sherpa manipulated the media and held climbers effectively hostage until their demands for improved pay, insurance and other benefits were met by the Nepal Government. While I agree with many of their issues, their approach was misguided and reeked of a traditional labor dispute between unions and management using the customer as the pawn. It was a turning point that cemented climbing Everest is a business for the Sherpas while remaining a dream for the members. The deaths on the Nepal side brought into focus the Sherpa community supporting Everest. It brought attention to the primary issue of life insurance and support for families of the d. However, the way a few young Sherpa manipulated the tragedy brought attention on the future of the Sherpa community and their relationship to climbers. In a sign of support for the Sherpas, over a million dollars was raised to benefit the families. But it was sad to see a few outspoken indviudals shape the view of a proud people. It was also sad to see how some shouted in outrage and blamed western climbers and operators for the turmoil when the reality is that the majority of Sherpa Guides, porters, cooks and other support staff for the Everest business are employed by local Nepal based companies, not U.S. or European or Asia/Pacific guide companies and the majority of climbers are no longer from the US or Europe. The mis-information and bad publicity around Everest continues and the mainstream media and many outdoor/adventure publications play right along with uninformed articles leading with sensationalized, misleading headlines all designed to attract readers and advertising, not credible reporting on Everest. Adding to the 2014 controversy was the amazing decision by the Nepal Ministry of Tourism to award Wang Jing an “international mountaineering award for her successful summit” . Wang as you may recall was the only non-Sherpa to summit Everest in 2014 after all the other expeditions left the mountain when the Icefall was effectively closed as a result of the Icefall Doctors halting maintenance of the route. While the Ministry denied Everest was ever closed, it was in reality. Wang started her summit attempt from Camp 2 instead of Base Camp given the Icefall was effectively closed. She provided multiple versions of her summit attempt leaving followers to guess at what really happened. She finally admitted she used a helicopter to fly to C2. The bottom line was that she was attempting to break a 7 Summits plus both poles female record and was determined to summit using any method available. While I salute her determination and Everest summit, she is not deserving of any special recognition, or record in my opinion. For an excellent objective overview of what happened since the tragedy visit this article on NatGeo by Chip Brown. Another good article is by Grayson Schafer on OutsideOnline with a long review of the tragedies’ timeline But the real tragedy is the continuation of how Everest is being used for blackmail, stunts and propaganda. That said, climbing Everest is still a rare feat that 0.000001% of the world’s population has achieved. It is difficult, deadly and deserving. 2015 Overview So what does 2015 look like? Look for prices to be higher, the North side to have more climbers and the South to be business as usual. From conversations with many climbers who left early in 2014, they are returning next year. Spaces are filling up as usual with the leading commercial operators. Higher Prices As I am updating my “How much does it cost to climb Everest?” post (to go live soon), I noticed an increase in pricing over the past few years. This is a representative sampling: Ranier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI) $59K to $66K or 11% International Mountain Guides (IMG) $40K to $44K or 9.5% Jagged Globe $54K to $58K or 7% Altitude Junkies $42.5K to $45K or 5% Peak Freaks $47K to $49K or 4% 7 summits club $49K to $50.5 or 3% Adventure Consultants, Alpine Ascents, Himex all remained at $65K There are several drivers