At least 12 climbers died, and another five went missing on Everest’s slopes in 2023, when Nepal issued 478 permits. Eight climbers died last year.

International expedition operators have urged Nepal to allow any 7,000m peak, not just those in the Himalayan nation, for the Everest permit.

Mount Everest is the world’s tallest mountain. Source: Getty / Paula Bronstein

Lukas Furtenbach of Austria-based expedition organiser, Furtenbach Adventures, said: “That wouldn’t make any sense. And I would also add mountains that are close to 7,000m to that list and that are widely used as preparation, like Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, Denali and others.”

Furtenbach, currently leading an expedition on Everest, said mountain guides from other countries must also be allowed to work on Everest, as there are not enough qualified Nepali mountain guides.

“It’s too difficult to find a reasonable 7,000m-plus peak in Nepal,” Madison said.