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Tibet crisis might have driven hikers to Nepal mountain hit by deadly avalanche
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Peter Terpstra
Sep 25, 2012, 1:38:15 PM9/25/12
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Tibet crisis might have driven hikers to Nepal mountain hit by deadly
avalanche.
By Associated Press, Published: September 24 | Updated: Tuesday,
September 25, 5:42 AM
KATMANDU, Nepal — The climbers killed in a weekend avalanche in the
Himalayas were part of a crush of mountaineers who came to the slope
because of heightened tensions between Chinese authorities and Tibetans.
China rejected climbing permits for mountaineers hoping to scale peaks
in the Tibetan Himalayas, forcing many to crowd onto mountains in Nepal,
according to alpine companies.
As a result, about 30 teams were registered to climb Mount Manaslu, a 50
percent increase over last year, said Ang Tshering, who runs the popular
Asian Trekking agency in Nepal.
About two dozen climbers were sleeping at a camp high on the mountain
early Sunday when the avalanche swept over them. Rescuers have so far
brought down the bodies of eight victims — four French, one each from
Germany, Italy and Spain, and a Nepali guide.
Tibet is a sensitive area for China, which sometimes limits access for
foreign tourists. It has also in the past restricted the number of
permits issued to climbers, and even stopped issuing them in 2008 while
Chinese climbers took the Olympic torch to the top of Mount Everest
before the Beijing Games.
Relations between Tibet and the Chinese government have been volatile
this year, as many Tibetans set themselves on fire to bring attention to
what they say is their suffering under China’s repressive policies.
China claims Tibet has always been Chinese territory, but most Tibetans
say the Himalayan region was independent for much of its history.
Chinese officials did not accept applications for climbing permits this
year, without giving any reason, said Tshering of Asian Trekking, who is
also the representative for the China Tibet Mountaineering Association.
As a result, climbers who were planning to climb Cho Oyu or Shisapangma
in the Tibetan region changed their destination to Manaslu, a popular
choice because it was not as difficult a climb as other high mountains,
Tshering said. It also has a relatively cheap $5,000 permit, compared to
$35,000 for Everest during the autumn season.
Other mountains also saw an increase in traffic, Tshering said,
Bikram Newpane of the Katmandu-based Himalayan Rescue Association, which
helps mountaineers in distress, said China’s ban on permits for climbing
the northern face of the Himalayas in Tibet could have added to the dangers.
“It is never 100 percent safe up on the mountains and the risks are
always there. But there were more people on the mountains this year,”
Newpane said.
Overcrowding has been a concern because of limited space on trails and
short windows of safety for summiting mountains.
Four people were killed on Mount Everest during the May climbing season
when a traffic jam pushed dozens of climbers on the same narrow path to
the summit, forcing many to stay too long at high altitudes and exhaust
their oxygen supplies.
It is not clear if the extra people on Manaslu contributed to the
tragedy. What does appear clear is that many would not have been on that
mountain had their Tibetan climbing permits been accepted.
However, a crush of climbers could have benefits too, providing extra
hands for rescue operations. Newpane praised the swift rescue on
Manaslu, carried out by the trekking agencies that organized the
expeditions.
Climbers also blame climate change for some of the recent tragedies on
the Himalayan peaks, which have been hit by warmer weather that melts
more snow and makes the surface unstable.
“The uncertainty of the weather condition has increased in the past few
years on the mountains. The melting glaciers on the mountains make the
grounds unstable,” said Zimba Zangbu of the Nepal Mountaineering
Association.
Zangbu said it continued to rain for two weeks in Nepal during the
monsoon season that just ended.
“When it rains in the rest of the country, it snows on the mountains.
Manaslu was also blanketed with soft snow,” he said, adding that this
type of snowfall does not get packed on the mountain surface and can
lead to avalanches.
The spring season is more popular for climbers because the weather
conditions are better on higher peaks before the monsoon brings rain and
snow. High winds in the area known as the death zone over 8,000 meters
(26,400 feet) also make climbing difficult during autumn.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Washington Post
http://tinyurl.com/cfjxqxt
avalanche.
By Associated Press, Published: September 24 | Updated: Tuesday,
September 25, 5:42 AM
KATMANDU, Nepal — The climbers killed in a weekend avalanche in the
Himalayas were part of a crush of mountaineers who came to the slope
because of heightened tensions between Chinese authorities and Tibetans.
China rejected climbing permits for mountaineers hoping to scale peaks
in the Tibetan Himalayas, forcing many to crowd onto mountains in Nepal,
according to alpine companies.
As a result, about 30 teams were registered to climb Mount Manaslu, a 50
percent increase over last year, said Ang Tshering, who runs the popular
Asian Trekking agency in Nepal.
About two dozen climbers were sleeping at a camp high on the mountain
early Sunday when the avalanche swept over them. Rescuers have so far
brought down the bodies of eight victims — four French, one each from
Germany, Italy and Spain, and a Nepali guide.
Tibet is a sensitive area for China, which sometimes limits access for
foreign tourists. It has also in the past restricted the number of
permits issued to climbers, and even stopped issuing them in 2008 while
Chinese climbers took the Olympic torch to the top of Mount Everest
before the Beijing Games.
Relations between Tibet and the Chinese government have been volatile
this year, as many Tibetans set themselves on fire to bring attention to
what they say is their suffering under China’s repressive policies.
China claims Tibet has always been Chinese territory, but most Tibetans
say the Himalayan region was independent for much of its history.
Chinese officials did not accept applications for climbing permits this
year, without giving any reason, said Tshering of Asian Trekking, who is
also the representative for the China Tibet Mountaineering Association.
As a result, climbers who were planning to climb Cho Oyu or Shisapangma
in the Tibetan region changed their destination to Manaslu, a popular
choice because it was not as difficult a climb as other high mountains,
Tshering said. It also has a relatively cheap $5,000 permit, compared to
$35,000 for Everest during the autumn season.
Other mountains also saw an increase in traffic, Tshering said,
Bikram Newpane of the Katmandu-based Himalayan Rescue Association, which
helps mountaineers in distress, said China’s ban on permits for climbing
the northern face of the Himalayas in Tibet could have added to the dangers.
“It is never 100 percent safe up on the mountains and the risks are
always there. But there were more people on the mountains this year,”
Newpane said.
Overcrowding has been a concern because of limited space on trails and
short windows of safety for summiting mountains.
Four people were killed on Mount Everest during the May climbing season
when a traffic jam pushed dozens of climbers on the same narrow path to
the summit, forcing many to stay too long at high altitudes and exhaust
their oxygen supplies.
It is not clear if the extra people on Manaslu contributed to the
tragedy. What does appear clear is that many would not have been on that
mountain had their Tibetan climbing permits been accepted.
However, a crush of climbers could have benefits too, providing extra
hands for rescue operations. Newpane praised the swift rescue on
Manaslu, carried out by the trekking agencies that organized the
expeditions.
Climbers also blame climate change for some of the recent tragedies on
the Himalayan peaks, which have been hit by warmer weather that melts
more snow and makes the surface unstable.
“The uncertainty of the weather condition has increased in the past few
years on the mountains. The melting glaciers on the mountains make the
grounds unstable,” said Zimba Zangbu of the Nepal Mountaineering
Association.
Zangbu said it continued to rain for two weeks in Nepal during the
monsoon season that just ended.
“When it rains in the rest of the country, it snows on the mountains.
Manaslu was also blanketed with soft snow,” he said, adding that this
type of snowfall does not get packed on the mountain surface and can
lead to avalanches.
The spring season is more popular for climbers because the weather
conditions are better on higher peaks before the monsoon brings rain and
snow. High winds in the area known as the death zone over 8,000 meters
(26,400 feet) also make climbing difficult during autumn.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Washington Post
http://tinyurl.com/cfjxqxt
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