Nepali guide dies on Himalayan peak as climbing season begins

An aerial picture taken midair from an helicopter shows the summit of Mount Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world at 8,481 meters, in Nepal’s Himalayas range on March 7, 2023. Agence France-Presse

KATHMANDU — A Nepali guide died after summiting the world’s fifth-highest mountain, officials in the Himalayan Republic said Thursday, in the first fatality of the spring climbing season.

Lakpa Tenji Sherpa, 53, reached the summit of the 8,485-meter-tall (27,838-feet) Mount Makalu while accompanying foreign climbers on Monday but died as he was descending.

“He was unwell and had to be helped down by his team members,” Rakesh Gurung of Nepal’s tourism department told AFP.

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Expedition organizer Seven Summit Treks said it was waiting on more details.

Nepal has issued 59 permits to foreign climbers for Makalu and dozens have reached the top after a rope-fixing team summited the peak last month.

Nepali guides and porters account for a large portion of deaths on the Himalayas, underscoring the risk they take for the dreams of hundreds of paying climbers aiming to reach the top of the world’s highest peaks.

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Hundreds of climbers have flocked to Nepal– home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks — and are preparing for summits in the spring climbing season, when temperatures are warm and winds are typically calm.

Nepal has issued over 900 permits for its mountains this year, including 414 for Everest, earning over five million dollars in royalties.