{"id":48881,"date":"2025-12-12T17:45:25","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T00:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=48881"},"modified":"2025-12-12T17:45:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T00:45:25","slug":"2025-wrap-up-talking-weather-with-chris-tomer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/12\/2025-wrap-up-talking-weather-with-chris-tomer\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 Wrap Up &#038; Talking Weather with Chris Tomer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mid-December is a quiet time in the mountaineering world, so I thought it would be nice to pick meteorologist Chris Tomer of <a href=\"https:\/\/christomer.com\/services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tomer Weather Solution<\/a>\u2019s brain on the upcoming winter season for mountaineering across the globe. And, of course, we have to touch on Everest.<\/p>\n<p>The 8000er season is chiefly over, and the true winter climbs have yet to begin in earnest. But soon, we will have activity in Antarctica with adventurers attempting full crossings, climbers going for Vinson, Tyree and maybe an unclimbed peak or two. Then, as we move towards the new year, the slopes of Acocnagua become busy with a new group of aspirants wanting to test themselves at 7,000 meters, perhaps for training for an upcoming Everest climb.<\/p>\n<p>With the Himalayan Database now updated for 2025, I\u2019ll be posting several Everest 2026 big-picture updates before the season officially begins in early April, 2026:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Everest by the Numbers: 2026 Edition &#8211; A deep dive into Everest statistics as compiled by the Himalayan Database<\/li>\n<li>Comparing the Routes of Everest: 2026 Edition &#8211; A detailed look at Everest&#8217;s routes, commercial, standard, and non-standard.<\/li>\n<li>How Much Does it Cost to Climb Everest: 2026 Edition &#8211; My annual review of what it costs to climb Everest, solo, unsupported, and guided.<\/li>\n<li>Everest 2026: Welcome to Everest 2026 Coverage &#8211; an introduction to the Everest 2026 Spring season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this Podcast, I briefly review the 2025 year in mountaineering and share my thoughts on a \u201cClimber\u2019s Holiday Season.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Autumn Over<\/h2>\n<p>The 2025 autumn expedition season wrapped up with summits across the Himalaya, with special emphasis on Manaslu and Ama Dablam, where the summits reached 500 people or more.<\/p>\n<p>Also making news was the return of Marc Batard with his Khumbu Icefall bypass project. I wrote extensively about this last month, so please take a look if you are interested in following this project. Spoiler alert, I don&#8217;t see it being used extensively if it ever gets completed &#8211; too technical, physical and risky for the average Everest climbers today, and the Sherpas will continue to climb the devil they know instead of the one they don&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<h2>Upcomming<\/h2>\n<p>Simone Moro is back for his seventh attempt to summit Manasslu in winter in alpine stlye. He\u2019s climbing with Nima Rinji Sherpa, and Oswald Rodrigo Pereira of Poland. Staying true to his definition of winter, Moro and team will arrive at Manaslu Base Camp on December 21.<\/p>\n<h2>Pakistani Mountainers Organize<\/h2>\n<p>Late last month, a group of 100 Pakistani mountaineers gathered to announce the creation of the\u00a0(KMGA), which they noted as being \u201cthe first national body created by mountaineers, for mountaineers.\u201d They selected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sirbazkhan_mission14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sirbaz Khan<\/a> to be the President. Khan has become quite famous in his homeland after becoming the first Pakistani to complete all 14 eight-thousanders in 2024, and in May 2025, he also became the first Pakistani mountaineer to summit all 14 without supplemental oxygen.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_48889\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48889\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/12\/2025-wrap-up-talking-weather-with-chris-tomer\/karakoram-mountain-guides-association\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-48889\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-48889 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karakoram-Mountain-Guides-Association-640x427.jpeg\" alt=\"Karakoram Mountain Guides Association\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karakoram-Mountain-Guides-Association-640x427.jpeg 640w, https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karakoram-Mountain-Guides-Association-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karakoram-Mountain-Guides-Association-1000x668.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karakoram-Mountain-Guides-Association-230x154.jpeg 230w, https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karakoram-Mountain-Guides-Association-350x234.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karakoram-Mountain-Guides-Association-480x320.jpeg 480w, https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Karakoram-Mountain-Guides-Association.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48889\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Karakoram Mountain Guides Association<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>These are the officers of the KMGA:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President: Mr. Sirbaz Khan<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">General Secretary: Mr. Mirza Ali<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice President: Mr. Saad Munawar<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice President: Mr. Zahid Hussain Rajput<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vice President: Mr. Sajid Ali Sadpara<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Treasurer: Mr. Shah Daulat<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In a press release they noted their primary mission and specific goals:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Enhance safety, rescue systems, and high-altitude protocols<\/li>\n<li>Develop training, certifications, and career paths for youth<\/li>\n<li>Advocate for insurance, medical aid, and welfare<\/li>\n<li>Align standards with international organizations<\/li>\n<li>Partner with government on tourism and sustainability<\/li>\n<li>This inclusive launch promotes transparency, equal opportunities, and professional growth in Pakistan\u2019s mountains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While their website is under construction, you can follow progress on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sirbaz.khan.3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> pages.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Nepal&#8217;s Approach to Managing their Peaks<\/h2>\n<div>It\u2019s great to see Pakistan organzie, so I thought its a good time to review how Nepal amanges their peaks. Nepal\u2019s mountaineering system is primarily managed by a government ministry and industry\/association groups, each with distinct responsibilities. Each plays a specific role in permitting, regulation, and on-the-ground safety operations.<\/div>\n<h3>Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA)<\/h3>\n<div>The NMA is Nepal\u2019s national alpine association, focused on promoting mountaineering, training, and welfare rather than directly organizing large expeditions.\u00a0It supports mountaineering education, safety awareness, and the welfare of mountain workers. Historically, it administered permits for a set of \u201ctrekking peaks\u201d in the 5,800\u20136,600 m range, though much of that authority has now reverted to the government.<\/div>\n<div>NMA also works to develop mountaineering infrastructure, such as training facilities and museums, and represents Nepal at international climbing forums. It collaborates closely with registered local trekking agencies that\u00a0handle permit acquisition and logistics for climbers.<\/div>\n<h3>Expedition Operators Association (EOA)<\/h3>\n<div>The EOA is a trade group of experienced high-altitude expedition companies, such as those with multiple 8,000 m expeditions over several seasons. Membership is restricted to established operators, and the association serves as a collective voice and mediator among expedition companies, workers, and the government.<\/div>\n<div>EOA\u2019s most visible role is coordinating the commercial rope-fixing effort on major routes like Everest above Camp 2, funded by a per-climber fee collected from expeditions used to pay fixing teams and purchase hardware. Standardizing rope quality, schedules, and staffing helps reduce traffic jams and enhances safety for all teams on the normal route<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>In Kathmandu, on December 12, The EOA has renewed its leadership team for the 2025\u201327 term, re-electing Dambar Parajuli as President and unanimously appointing a new executive committee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Ministry of Tourism (MoCTCA)<\/h3>\n<div>Within the Government of Nepal, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (often called the Ministry of Tourism in climbing circles) acts as the official regulator. It formulates mountaineering regulations, sets royalty and permit fees, designates which peaks are open, and issues permits for the 8,000ers and most peaks above about 6,500 m.<\/div>\n<div>The ministry also appoints and oversees liaison officers, establishes rules for waste management and conduct, and uses royalty income to support both national tourism and local communities. Significant policy changes, such as transferring permit control for trekking peaks away from the NMA, are decided at the ministry level, effectively centralizing control over Nepal\u2019s mountaineering sector.<\/div>\n<h3>Nepal Tourism Board (NTB)<\/h3>\n<p>NTB serves as Nepal\u2019s national tourism promotion authority, marketing the country globally as a premier mountaineering destination while supporting broader adventure tourism policies. It develops guidelines for trekkers and climbers, such as mandatory guides in protected areas, and advocates for sustainable practices to enhance safety and environmental protection.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the Ministry\u2019s permit issuance or NMA\u2019s training focus, NTB influences policy through campaigns and stakeholder coordination, including recent pushes for experience requirements like prior 7,000m summits on Everest.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>China&#8217;s Approach to Managing their Peaks<\/h2>\n<p>China and Tibet manage their mountaineering industry through centralized oversight by state bodies like the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) and the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA), emphasizing permits, safety, and economic integration.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Permit System<\/strong><br \/>\nClimbing permits are issued exclusively through authorized Chinese companies, prohibiting independent climbers since 2024; the CTMA handles applications via local outfitters, often with opaque timelines and conservative approvals. Foreigners face strict limits, such as 300 annual permits on the Tibet side of Everest, requiring one guide per summit climber and banning solo ascents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0Safety and Control Measures<\/strong><br \/>\nAuthorities prioritize &#8220;controllable scenarios&#8221; due to public opinion and safety pressures, enforcing a &#8220;contract system&#8221; where CMA manages logistics like porters, transport, and food\u2014expeditions pay upfront and cannot handle these independently.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Best of luck to all mountaineers and adventures as we cross into 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Climb On!<br \/>\nAlan<br \/>\nMemories are Everything<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Podcast on alanarnette.com<\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Interview with Chris Tomer<\/h3>\n<div id=\"kgvid_kgvid_0_wrapper\" class=\"kgvid_wrapper kgvid_wrapper_auto_left kgvid_wrapper_auto_right\">\n\t\t\t<div id=\"video_kgvid_0_div\" class=\"fitvidsignore kgvid_videodiv\" data-id=\"kgvid_0\" data-kgvid_video_vars=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;kgvid_0&quot;,&quot;attachment_id&quot;:&quot;48892&quot;,&quot;player_type&quot;:&quot;Video.js v8&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:&quot;360&quot;,&quot;fullwidth&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;fixed_aspect&quot;:&quot;vertical&quot;,&quot;countable&quot;:true,&quot;count_views&quot;:&quot;start_complete&quot;,&quot;start&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;false&quot;,&quot;pauseothervideos&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;set_volume&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;muted&quot;:&quot;false&quot;,&quot;meta&quot;:true,&quot;endofvideooverlay&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.alanarnette.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/12\\\/summitcoach-e1483568572550.jpg&quot;,&quot;resize&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;auto_res&quot;:&quot;automatic&quot;,&quot;pixel_ratio&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;right_click&quot;:false,&quot;playback_rate&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;2025 Wrap Up &amp; Talking Weather with Chris Tomer&quot;,&quot;skip_buttons&quot;:[],&quot;nativecontrolsfortouch&quot;:&quot;true&quot;,&quot;locale&quot;:&quot;en&quot;,&quot;enable_resolutions_plugin&quot;:false}\" itemprop=\"video\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Chris-Tomer.jpeg\"><meta itemprop=\"embedUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Wrap-Up-Talking-Weather-with-Chris-Tomer-.mp4\"><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Wrap-Up-Talking-Weather-with-Chris-Tomer-.mp4\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"2025 Wrap Up &amp; Talking Weather with Chris Tomer\"><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"2025 Wrap Up &amp; Talking Weather with Chris Tomer\"><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-12-12T16:58:13-07:00\">\n\t\t\t\t<video id=\"video_kgvid_0\" playsinline controls preload=\"metadata\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Chris-Tomer.jpeg\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"fitvidsignore video-js kg-video-js-skin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<source src=\"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-Wrap-Up-Talking-Weather-with-Chris-Tomer-.mp4?id=0\" type=\"video\/mp4\" data-res=\"720p\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/video>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"kgvid_below_video\" id=\"video_kgvid_0_below\"><div class=\"kgvid-viewcount\" id=\"video_kgvid_0_viewcount\">35 views<\/div><div class=\"kgvid-caption\" id=\"video_kgvid_0_caption\">2025 Wrap Up &amp; Talking Weather with Chris Tomer<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t<div style=\"display:none\" id=\"video_kgvid_0_meta\" class=\"kgvid_video_meta kgvid_video_meta_hover \">\n\t\t\t\t<span class='kgvid_meta_icons'><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='video_kgvid_0_title' class='kgvid_title'>2025 Wrap Up &amp; Talking Weather with Chris Tomer<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<p>You can listen to #everest2025 <strong>podcasts<\/strong>\u00a0on <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2uu2RcE9WiFKzSGl50oFKY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-podcast-on-alanarnette-com\/id1567287947\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple Podcast<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breaker.audio\/the-podcast-on-alanarnette-dot-com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Breaker<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pca.st\/otq8ztfv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pocket Casts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/radiopublic.com\/the-podcast-on-alanarnettecom-G2R7r0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RadioPublic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/alan-arnette1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Anchor<\/a>, and more. Just search for &#8220;alan arnette&#8221; on your favorite podcast platform.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mid-December is a quiet time in the mountaineering world, so I thought it would be nice to pick meteorologist Chris Tomer of Tomer Weather Solution\u2019s brain on the upcoming winter season for mountaineering across the globe. And, of course, we have to touch on Everest.<\/p>\n<p>The 8000er season is chiefly over, and the true winter climbs have yet to begin in earnest. But soon, we will have activity in Antarctica with adventurers attempting full crossings, climbers going for Vinson, Tyree and maybe an unclimbed peak or two. Then, as we move towards the new year, the slopes of Acocnagua become busy with a new group of aspirants wanting to test themselves at 7,000 meters, perhaps for training for an upcoming Everest climb.<\/p>\n<p>In this Podcast, I briefly review the 2025 year in mountaineering and share my thoughts on a \u201cClimber\u2019s Holiday Season.&#8221; #everest2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":48891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7,147,755,828,81,216],"tags":[432,448,829,439,595],"class_list":["post-48881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climbing-news","category-everest","category-everest-2025-coverage","category-everest-2026-coverage","category-everest-news","category-everest-popular-posts","tag-climbing-news","tag-everest","tag-everest-2026-coverage","tag-everest-news","tag-everest-popular-posts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Chris-Tomer.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}