How much does it cost to climb Mount Everest
"How much does it cost to climb Mount Everest?" This is one of the most common questions. The simplest answer is that a car costs at least $30,000, but many people will pay more. This is the most common question about the Everest climb and the cost.
The price of climbing Mount Everest is not fixed. Prices range from $30,000 to $85,000 dollars. Nepali exploration companies have captured the market with low prices and traditional western organizers differentiate their offerings by adding more services. In other words, climbing Everest has become as sophisticated a market as buying a car or flying on an airplane.
How much it costs depends on the form of your climb, the logistics and which side you climb from. There are now fewer and fewer standard climbing places in Tibet (North Slope) for environmental reasons. The vast majority of the world's Everest climbers, including those from China, now tend to choose to climb from the south side of Everest in Nepal.
The average cost to climb to the summit is about $42,000 on the south side and $39,000 on the north side. It would cost at least $60,000 for a client with one or more Western guides to climb Everest from the south slope. It would be about $30,000 to go to a low-cost Nepalese company.
There are three ways to climb Everest: individual climbing, outsourcing logistics or joining a commercial team.
Today, more and more Everest climbers are coming from India and China, who have supplemented traditional climbers from the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia. It is mostly local Nepali guides who can fulfill these needs. The increase in the number of Chinese climbers has given a big boost to the country's tourism industry, while also adding to Everest's congestion.
At the same time, a large number of Nepali mountaineering companies, owned or led by Chinese and targeting the Chinese market, have emerged in the Nepali market.
Where did my money go
Whether climbing Everest from Nepal or Tibet, the cost is made up of four main components: travel, license/insurance, equipment, and guide fees. One can climb it independently without a group, but few people do it because it's too expensive.
Traveling to Nepal will cost you between $500 and $7,000
The cost of travel depends entirely on the number of star-rated hotels you stay in and how you travel. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to more than 7,000 dollars. Most foreign tourists use Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and others. While Chinese tourists can easily travel to Nepal by Air China, China Eastern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Tibet Airlines and China Southern Airlines.
After reaching Kathmandu, continue your flight to Lukla. From Lukla, it takes about a week to walk to base camp. You and your support team will be fed and housed along the way, totaling between $400 and $1,000, depending also on how you travel and how much beer or whiskey you drink each day.
But not only do you have to get to base camp on your own, you have to bring your own gear: tents, food, oxygen, etc. must be transported to base camp. Backpacks and yaks cost at least $75 a day, so the total is usually several thousand dollars. This large expedition will rent helicopters. If you climb from the Tibetan side, you can save some money. You can drive all the way to base camp, which is included in your license.
Personal travel costs $2,425 to $6,325
Airfares range from 1,500 to 5,000, depending on your class of cabin and excess baggage fees.
A round-trip ticket from Kathmandu to Lukla costs $325.
Accommodation and meals in Kathmandu cost between $300 and $700, depending on your level of accommodation.
Nepal 90-day visa fee US$100.
(Visa fee is waived for Chinese nationals)
Vaccinations cost US$200.
$3,990 to Everest Base Camp $4,550
Yaks cost $150 per day to and from the camp to carry 120 pounds (about 55 kilograms) (at least $2,400 for 4 yaks for 4 days)
A porter costs $75 per day to and from Base Camp to carry 60 pounds (about 27 kilograms) (at least 1,350 for 6 days with 3 porters). dollars).
Lodging and food on the trek to EBC costs $20-$100/person/day (at least $140-$700 for 7 days)
Equipment parking is $100/tour.
Permit insurance costs US$7,000 to US$17,500
Permit fees for climbing Mount Everest are US$11,000/person in Nepal and US$7,000/person in Tibet. In Nepal, the permit only states that climbing is permitted, while in Aconcagua, Argentina, or McKinley, Alaska, the permit fees are $800 and $365, respectively, but include helicopter rescue, high altitude camp maintenance, seasonal staff hiring, provision of information on the climb, and environmental protection fees.
Nepal implemented a new rule in 2013 that requires every foreign climber coming to Nepal to hire a local Sherpa guide. These regulations should also apply. But it's not clear how it will be enforced, or whether the person in charge of each team will be required to enforce it, but it adds at least $4,000 to the absolute minimum price.
A climber who made an unauthorized ascent in 2000 was ultimately repatriated by the Nepalese government and banned from climbing and exploring in Nepal for the next five years.
To bring Nepalese Sherpas to Tibet, the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) requires each Sherpa to pay a $3,000 "work permit" fee.
Most guide companies in Nepal require groups to have at least rescue insurance, and most also require medical insurance. One of the best investments you can make is to include a cancellation adventure in your insurance policy. in 2014 and 2015, the Everest climbing season came to an abrupt end, and those who purchased trip-cancellation/interruption insurance received a 100 percent reimbursement of their trip costs.
Travelex is a popular choice. To save money, you can join the American Alpine Club, which will pay for a $7,500 rescue through GlobalRescue. But before you can start getting rescues, you have to go to your will or home on your own. Most people will pay hundreds of dollars extra to upgrade the most basic services.
All of these protocols, you must follow the rules to the letter or you will not be compensated. Yes, strict compliance. One little mistake can keep you from getting compensation.
Mountaineering costs $16,650 to $21,650
Nepal Alpine Liaison Officers cost $2,500 per group.
Medical support at base camp is $100 per person
Nepalese Everest license $11,000/person; Tibetan Everest Pass (for Westerners) $7,000/person, Nepalese Sherpa $3,000/person.
And a deposit of US$4000/tour for garbage and human excreta (refundable, but not always possible)
The Glacier Doctor's road repair fee is US$2500/tour or US$600/person.
The road rope fix on the Khumbu Glacier is $150/person.
Weather is $0-$1000
Simmering rituals are $300
Insurance is $400-$2500.
Rescue is $70-$400.
$500 for medical expenses.
$100 for cancellation
Rescue on the south slope of Mt. Everest costs $5,000-20,000 (depending on start and finish)
Equipment costs $12,000.
You will need to eat and keep warm, and about 97.3% of Everest people use oxygen. It's possible to buy your own food and cook for yourself, but most people hire Nepalese cooks at base camp for about $5,000. At the same time, they must have a budget of about $800 for food and fuel for the six weeks they spend climbing Everest.
Use at least five bottles of oxygen at $550 per bottle, totaling **** about $2,750. Also oxygen masks are $450 and oxygen regulators are $450. You can bring your own extra oxygen to high camp, but most people need to hire a Sherpa to carry it. If you hire a private Sherpa, it will cost you about $2,000 extra to carry climbing oxygen for him at the typically lower flow rates.
Finally, you'll need climbing gear, including boots, a one-piece down jacket, warm clothes, gloves, a sleeping bag, a backpack, and so on. If you buy all new, it will cost you at least $7,000. Alpine boots like LaSportiva or Xiaomi cost about $1,000, a one-piece down jacket like Feathered Friends or MountainHardwear costs more than $1,000, and a down sleeping bag with a temperature range of -30 degrees costs at least $500.
Miscellaneous $11,650-$16,400-$36,400
First-aid kit $1,000
Sherpa co-op, chef's advice and $250-$2,000 in bonuses (depending on performance or whether you reach the top)
Personal gear (jumpsuits, hiking boots, sleeping bags, etc..) :$7,000
Satellite phone (own use) charges $1,000-$3,000 depending on use.
Sherpa gear allowance $2,000
Everest base and high camps $3,500-$8,800
Tents cost $3,000 (for 3 people to sleep, cook, go to the toilet, and store)
Cooks cost $5,000 (cooks and assistants work for 6 weeks)
Food and fuel $800 (can last 6 weeks)
Support for mountaineering activities $3,990 to $12,430
Oxygen 550/bottle (5 bottles)***Total $2,750 (does not include transportation to high camps)
Oxygen masks sell for $450 each.
$450/oxygen regulator
Sherpa Collaboration $5,000, Sherpa Oxygen $2,000.
Logistical support (excluding licenses) $20,000 to $80,000
For decades, Western expedition companies such as Expedition Consultants, AlpineAscents (AAI), JaggedGlobe, HimalayanExperience (Himex), International Mountain Guide (IMG ) and others. all paid between $40,000 and $65,000 to climb Everest.
But that's changing.2016 saw fierce competition from local Nepali exploration companies. Many Sherpas who have climbed Everest ten or more times are advertisers in their own right, saving as much as $10,000-$25,000 in fees paid to Western guides.
Combined with the sometimes lower-than-normal wages paid to Sherpa collaborators, cooks, and porters, Nepalese exploration companies operate at one-third the cost of traditional Western exploration companies.
According to the survey, the average price for Nepalese exploration companies in 2000 was $42,000 when climbing from the southern slopes with Sherpa guides, and $62,000 with climbing guides from the West. Climbing from the North Slope with Sherpa or Tibetan collaboration, the average price was $38,000.
For those who want to join a low-cost Nepali company, the price is about $30,000 for climbing from the South or North Slopes. The price is $114,000 if you hire a private western guide or an international alpine guide.
How to summit Everest
In Nepal, almost everyone calls themselves a mountain guide. You have three options: Sherpa co-ops, Sherpa guides and Western guides.
Sherpa Collaborative
For $30,000, you can join an expedition to the South Slope supported by the Sherpa Collaborative. The expedition company takes care of all the logistical preparations: food, public **** equipment, transportation, and Sherpa Collaboration, but does not provide traditional western guides, or even Sherpa guides. The Sherpa Collaboration may or may not speak fluent English and will take you to the top and back. This is quite common. During the climb, you may be alone and your collaboration lost.
Sherpa Guides (Sherpa Guides)
Sherpa International Mountain Guides (IMG) climbing is a group of climbers led by experienced Sherpa mountain guides. The market price for this mode of climbing is $44,000. It usually relies on an experienced senior Sherpa leader to make important decisions such as when to reach the summit or retreat. A variation of this model is to hire a private Sherpa mountain guide. These Sherpa guides have gained experience and skills from practicing climbing 1:1 with western clients. Their English is usually very good. You will never climb alone.
Maybe they won't help you carry your gear, but they'll always be there for you, whether it's the night before the summit or when you give up before the summit. In addition to paying your personal Sherpa guide $5,000-$7,000, you'll need to pay another 5 percent to 20 percent in tips and bonuses.
Western Guides
Western guided expeditions are a "full service" and are the best option for first-time Everest climbers or those who want more support.
Prices vary widely, from $55,000 to $85,000 USD. This includes a Sherpa guide and all **** access to one or more western guides. If you want your own personal Western guide, you have to pay $100,000 plus tips and bonuses.
There is no language barrier on this climb. Western guides make decisions on all issues, such as return times, weather and dealing with emergencies.
With these high-end expeditions, you food is of high quality, with five-star chefs preparing exotic cuisine. There's also a coffee machine, a bar and more.
The most expensive expeditions have always had some Western guides, but many climbers from China have now taken their place in response to China's expanding market.
:An in-depth look at the following questions
1. Do I have to climb along a trad route?
No, you can climb Everest along any route as long as you can get a climbing license. If you want to climb from Nepal to Tibet or other unconventional routes, you need to get permits from both countries. But years of experience have shown that applying for a similar license is almost impossible.
2. Can I climb Everest alone?
No! In 2013, Nepal's Ministry of Tourism issued a policy requiring all climbers to hire a Sherpa guide. The Tibetan Mountaineering Association of China has a similar requirement. But there are exceptions, such as some of the peaks around Mount Everest.
3. What is the minimum cost to climb Everest?
As mentioned earlier, it is almost impossible to climb Everest completely independently along a traditional route. However, you can climb it without oxygen, without the cooperation of Sherpas, without a cook, and with only the ladders and way ropes of the Khumbu Glacier. For an individual, it costs at least $32,000. For a group of seven, including the services mentioned above, the base cost averages $30,000 per person.
With oxygen and logistical support at base camp, plus the collaboration of a Sherpa, the cost is closer to $45,000. If you join a team of seven, the average cost is only $39,000. If you climb from the northern slopes of Tibet, the cost can be lowered by a few thousand dollars.
What's the difference between $43,000 and $65,000 to climb Everest?
The general rule is the lower the price, the bigger the group. But at the high end, the difference is often the level of profit and the number of western guides. There are also price bundles of services. Some companies undercut their prices and then offer clients "options" such as how much oxygen to use, Sherpa cooperation, or even food at base camp. One British exploration company organizes low-cost climbs on the North Slope, but their offer excludes oxygen, summit bonuses and other services that almost all exploration companies include.
Another common practice is to pay employees lower salaries, whereas the best exploration companies will pay them properly.
Another example is the Sherpa bonus. Lower prices may not include summit bonuses, while higher prices do. For example, a Nepalese company requires climbers to pay the Sherpa a summit bonus of $1,500 if they succeed in summiting or reaching the South Depression, or $500 if they fail to summit. That portion of the fee is not included in the benchmark offer.
But the bonuses are included in some exploration companies' overall offers. Even in both cases, it's customary to give your Sherpa co-op, western guides, and extra tips.
Mount Everest is becoming more and more of an aristocratic sport. -The cost of training, preparation, and summiting is already extremely high, and almost all climbers have financial resources or sponsors. After all, for most Chinese, spending their life savings to sprint to the top is still a pipe dream. Without being pejorative, it's a "coterie" sport.
That's why Chinese entrepreneurs have previously spent more than 3 million yuan per capita to climb Mount Everest (a price tag that dates back a decade)! There is no doubt that with strong logistical support, their personal safety is hardly at risk.
With the rapid increase in the number of climbers, growing environmental pressures and the need for more Sherpa communities, it is probable that the cost of climbing the world's highest peaks will increase significantly in the future.