Everest climbers shift routes to China amid concerns over safety standards in Nepal

Poor regulation and overcrowding are pushing Everest climbers away from Nepal to China, which is investing millions to boost a rival path to the top of the world.

Veteran climbing outfits, fed up with what they regard as a lax attitude to safety on Nepal’s southern flank of the 8,848 metre (29,029-foot) peak, are starting to shift operations to Everest’s north side in Tibet.

“The south side is way too overcrowded with inexperienced people,” Phil Crampton, a seasoned Everest hand who announced in January his company Altitude Junkies would shift to China, the third such outfit to abandon Nepal in recent years.

The exodus could dent a long-standing source of revenue for the cash-strapped Himalayan nation – Kathmandu raked in more than US$4 million in Everest permits fees alone in 2017.

A growing chorus of foreign led Everest operators in Nepal are demanding greater scrutiny of low-cost outfits that have mushroomed in recent years, offering cheap expeditions up the fabled summit.

These budget players are luring hordes of amateur climbers chasing the thrill of Everest, but also risking death and injury, climbing experts say, warning that some expedition leaders are ill-equipped to tackle the peak.