In the wake of the extremely controversial summit of Everest by 13-year old Jordan Romero, China has instituted age limits to those allowed to summit Everest. The China Tibet Mountaineering Association that regulates the permitting process for climbing the north side of Everest released the new restrictions Thursday.
From now on, climbers must be between the ages of 18 and 60 to receive a permit for the mountain. There are some caveats to this restriction however. Permits for the Chinese side will be allowed if medical certificates can be produced showing the climber is fit enough for the climb. I assume this is really intended to allow climbers over the age of 60 climb if they’re fit, but I imagine some will try for younger climbers too.
This also comes after a Nepalese Sherpa has announced he will try to find an 11 or 12-year old boy to climb Everest to regain the record. He has also stated that he’ll train his own 9-year old son, should he be unable to find an 11-year old for the attempt. Nepal also has a minimum age of 16 to receive a permit, however the Sherpa has already received an exemption for his attempt.
While I’ve generally tried to stay away from this controversy, there has to be a limit to the madness on Everest. It seems like every year the circus at the mountain gets bigger. While the news from the Chinese side of the mountain is quite welcome, it’s pretty clear there are exemptions available.
At some point, this race to be the first or the youngest to the top has to end. While Jordan Romero’s summit was successful, it could have just as easily ended in tragedy. With news that Everest may also be getting more dangerous to climb, there’s even more to worry about. If this continues, some kid is going to die on the mountain.
The Adventure Junkie has had quite a few things to say on the subject, so I won’t repeat them all. So, I’ll just say that while this news is quite welcome, it looks like it will do little to reduce the circus that is Everest. At what point does this stop? When we have someone climbing Everest in a rhino suit?
