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Nepal's Council of Ministers on Thursday backed changes to mountaineering regulations in the Himalayan nation ahead of the Spring 2018 climbing season. Among the new regulations are a prohibition on climbing alone in the Himalayas.
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"The changes have barred solo expeditions, which were allowed before," Maheshwor Neupane, secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, told AFP. Neupane also specified that the law's revisions aim to make mountaineering safer and decrease deaths and accidents.
The measures also ban expeditions for multiple amputees and blind climbers in spite of the fact that Mount Everest attracts a great number of climbers who seek to overcome their disabilities and reach the summit.
In 2006, New Zealand's Mark Inglis, who lost both of his legs, became the first double amputee to reach the summit.
Every Spring and Fall, thousands of mountaineers travel to the Asian country, which has eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks.
Only 450 climbers, 190 foreigners and 259 Nepalese have reached the Everest's white summit.
According to AFP's report, Hari Budha Magar, an aspiring Everest climber and double amputee, posted a message on Facebook denouncing what he considers a discriminatory ban. "If the cabinet passes, this is #Discrimination against disabled people, breaking #HumanRights," Magar wrote earlier this month.
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