KATHMANDU: 376 world climbers including 20 Nepalis representing five teams obtained climbing permits for Mt Everest while a nine-member team comprising five South Koreans will be applying in a day or two becoming the last to seek permit for the world’s highest peak in the season.  With the world mountaineers traversing through the treacherous Khumbu icefall on Mt Everest, Nepal’s Department of Tourism today said it had issued climbing permits to at least 729 mountaineers who would be attempting to climb 21 different mountains in the spring season. “At least 53 female climbers, three of them as team leader, have headed to Mt Everest,” he shared. DoT record shows that there were only 289 foreign climbers who had obtained climbing permits for Mt Everest in the last spring season. After traversing through the icefall section, Jim Davidson, a Colorado-based seasoned mountaineer,  The ministry has allowed for all of the fixing gear including ropes, pitons, screws and biners to be flown by chopper up to Camp II. At least 16 loads have already been airlifted to Camp II while such move certainly eliminates lots of dangerous load carries through the icefall by Sherpas, he added. Along with Mt Everest, at least 100 climbers for Mt Lhotse and 30 for Mt Nuptse will also be using the icefall route.

The only Bangladeshi climber of the season Amatun Noor, 21, is the youngest female to obtain Everest climbing permit while 31-year old Giselle Carolina Cesin Ramirez would want to become the first Venezuelan female to be on the roof of the world. Oldest foreign climbers in male and female categories – Japanese Hiromi Wada, 70, and Joy Christine Deerness, 68, from New Zealand — have also headed for Mt Everest this season.