In response, Tibet Shengshan Expedition replied to Tianhan QInlu’s plea on Weibo: "Wang Tianhan, a fellow climber, ascended to Camp 2 at 7,790 meters on Everest without permission. (Climbing peaks above 7,000 meters requires approval from the General Administration of Sport of China. Only with such approval can one proceed. Wang Tianhan had no approval, nor any climbing permit from the Tibet Mountaineering Association — this constitutes illegal climbing.)..."
Kidnapping, illegal climbing, Everest — a few simple words strung together spark many associations. What’s the background of this incident?
A reporter’s investigation found that to climb Mount Everest, aside from mountaineering skills, one must also obtain a climbing permit and prepare for expenses of no less than 280,000 yuan. And if you want to climb from the Chinese side, you inevitably have to deal with the Shengshan Expedition company mentioned in the Weibo post. One mountaineer exclaimed, "It's a world peak paved with gold."
The 280,000-yuan quotation
Including fees for high-altitude guides, meals, lodging, training, registration, equipment, etc.
Mountaineer Lao Zhang had been following the news of Wang Tianhan being "kidnapped" until he finally called Wang and learned he had safely withdrawn to Lhasa before he could relax.
In Lao Zhang’s view, the Wang Tianhan incident stems from commercial mountaineering.
Mountaineer Beihei believes that according to domestic mountaineering management regulations, climbing independent peaks over 5,000 meters in the Tibet Autonomous Region or over 3,500 meters in other provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities must be initiated by a legally qualified entity; the team must consist of at least two members who have participated in basic mountaineering knowledge and skills training as well as physical training organized by provincial-level or higher mountaineering associations. "Individuals cannot climb Everest — it must be applied for by a legal entity. Many of these entities are members of mountaineering associations. Aside from historically established social organizations, others must turn to guide companies. Also, to climb Everest, one must have qualifications: to climb an 8,000-meter peak, one must have climbed a 7,000-meter one; to summit Everest, one must have climbed over 8,000 meters before. To climb an 8,000-meter mountain through a guide company costs around 100,000 to 200,000 yuan; for a 7,000-meter mountain, one must also go through a guide company — the current rate is about 30,000 yuan. But to summit Everest through a guide company, the cost is now 280,000 yuan."
Feng Li (a pseudonym), a mountaineer who has summited Everest, said that the current cost for commercial expeditions is 280,000 yuan per person, compared to 250,000 yuan in 2008. A staff member from Tibet Shengshan Mountaineering Expedition confirmed that the 280,000 yuan includes fees for high-altitude guides, meals, lodging, training, registration, equipment, etc.
"Everest is different from other peaks. The climbing window is very short, the route is extremely crowded, and the capacity is limited. Using money as leverage is not unreasonable," Beihei believes. Everest itself already has many commercial and permanent facilities. Mountaineering schools and guide companies once funded the opening of a route from base camp to the summit at great expense in manpower and materials, building many ladders. "So Everest is a highly commercialized mountain."
When Feng Li summited, Everest’s commercialization wasn’t so evident, and the costs weren’t as high. "Climbing Everest is getting more and more expensive. Now, Everest is a world peak paved with gold."
Footage from the UK’s Daily Mail shows climbers lined up one after another. Weibo user Wang Chunlei revealed: Everest also experiences congestion. On a certain day in May, around 3,000 meters up Everest, a narrow path caused a traffic jam involving 150 people. As a result, four people were trapped for over three hours, ran out of oxygen, and lost their lives.
A rich man’s game
Legend has it that some have paid over a million yuan to climb Everest
Lao Zhang once joined a commercial mountaineering team to summit Everest. He thinks the professional requirements for climbing Everest aren't that high now, as long as the climber can handle high altitudes — it’s more about physical endurance. On the team, he met a company boss in his 40s suffering from diabetes. "People with diabetes are strictly forbidden from climbing, but the guides from commercial expeditions are very professional, and the routes are equipped with ladders and other facilities. Climbing Everest is much easier now than before." He said most climbers these days are bosses or wealthy individuals. As long as they find the right guide, success is usually guaranteed.
In Lao Zhang’s opinion, climbing Everest requires a certain amount of experience as well as financial strength. "Just the 'ticket' to Everest is 280,000 yuan, and then there’s the need for climbing experience at various altitudes — those climbs also come at a cost."
"Many who can afford to pay are bosses. Some other mountaineers tag along with commercial teams, with the boss covering the costs and helping them reach the top. Without professional help, many of these bosses would barely survive in the mountains alone." Feng Li, who has summited Everest several times, learned from talking to high-altitude guides that many don’t enjoy going up the mountain frequently. "Even though the fees are high, many still come to climb, so the guides have to go up often. Among these clients, many are bosses. There’s also a small number of young people who climb for their ideals."
High-altitude guides earn income from fixed salaries, commissions, and also bonuses from climbers. "After a successful summit, climbers usually give guides around 30,000 yuan in bonuses. Some bosses even give 100,000 yuan after reaching the top."
Once, Feng Li noticed a boss hired over ten guides to help him summit Everest. "I learned the highest price someone paid was over a million yuan just to summit Everest, with over 100,000 yuan in bonuses alone. And the total cost of the summit included some material sponsorships as well."
"This goes against the true spirit of mountaineering. Without money, you simply can’t climb. It’s become a club for the rich." Lao Zhang said that conquering the world’s highest peak may satisfy climbers’ vanity, but mountaineering shouldn’t be a game only the wealthy can afford.
The unavoidable 'Shengshan'
Many regulations push climbers toward guide companies,
and yet there’s only one such company available
"The essence of commercial mountaineering is monopoly — certain people control the resources," Lao Zhang believes. Climbing Everest has become a big business, and if you’re climbing from the north side, you basically can’t avoid Shengshan Company. "Now many people choose to climb from Nepal because the overall costs are much lower there, and the quality of the guides is also quite good."
What kind of company is Shengshan? Why must you go through this company to climb Everest? Feng Li said there are two routes to Everest — climbing from the Chinese side is called the North Ridge, while Nepal is the South Ridge. High-altitude guides trained by the Tibet Mountaineering School are sent to Shengshan Company to work as guides. "Aside from Shengshan, there are a few small foreign companies, but in terms of service and safety, they don’t pose a threat to Shengshan."
Domestic mountaineering management regulations stipulate that climbing high mountains requires certified climbing instructors or high-altitude guides, with one instructor or guide leading a maximum of four team members.
Feng Li said that if an individual wants to form their own team, they must apply to and register with the Tibet Mountaineering Association. The registration fee is 5,000 US dollars. "No matter how many people, the registration fee is 5,000 US dollars. Without going through Shengshan Company, you have to apply yourself, which raises the threshold — you need to have climbed an 8,000-meter peak and pay a 5,000-dollar registration fee. If you go through Shengshan Company, many barriers are lowered, and they handle all the procedures. I’ve heard that even if someone hasn’t climbed an 8,000-meter peak, the company will find a way to get the application approved."
"Many regulations seem to push climbers toward guide companies, yet there’s only one such company, creating a de facto monopoly and a forced-purchase issue," Bei Hei said. Nowadays, Mount Everest only accepts group tours, and climbers must sign up through a company. This rule inadvertently funnels climbers toward guide companies. Even if commercial climbing teams don’t hire guides from Sacred Mountain Company, they still need certified guides—but those with certifications are almost all from the mountaineering school, so they can’t avoid them either.
Individual applicants must specify corresponding conditions and list the required gear and equipment, with the checklist needing to be clear and detailed. Feng Li said that after completing the application process, you’ll receive a climbing permit. If applying through Sacred Mountain Company, part of the fees—such as the registration fee—goes to the local mountaineering association, while the rest is revenue for Sacred Mountain Company.
A staff member from the Tibet Mountaineering Association stated that according to domestic mountain climbing management regulations, climbing activity approvals are mandatory. After approval, inexperienced climbers must be led by certified high-altitude guides. The regional mountaineering management authority must allocate 20% of the climbing registration fees to the county-level government where the mountain is located each year. Additionally, there’s a modest environmental protection fee for climbing, 60% to 80% of which also goes to the local government, which provides free training and guidance on climbing service skills for residents near the mountain. The collected registration and environmental fees are mainly used for mountain management and related environmental maintenance.
Worries Beneath the "Money Outlook"
In the past, fellow mountaineers would hug each other when they met,
Now guides forbid any physical contact.
In the years since Feng Li reached the summit, the biggest change he’s noticed is the departure of the Russell team. "They were highly professional as a guiding team and maintained a high level of safety. Now the Russell team has been kicked out of the north slope and moved to the south slope in Nepal to provide guiding services. For commercial climbing, there’s only one option: Sacred Mountain Company."
"The commercialization of Everest has gone too far. Nowadays, some high-altitude guides are more concerned about how much tip money they’re getting—they even compare the tips given by different teams’ clients," Feng Li said. Years ago, when he climbed Everest, he’d encounter both domestic and international teams, and everyone would greet each other and hug. "But now that rarely happens because climbing guides forbid interaction between teams—they might overhear business information, such as climbing costs and spending amounts. Nowadays, everyone is rather cold, with almost no communication; it’s just you climb your way, I climb mine."
Feng Li once considered hiring a Nepalese guide to climb Everest from the north slope but gave up due to language barriers and coordination issues. "In the mountains, coordination between guides is crucial. Most commercial climbing teams on the north slope come from one company’s guides. If I don’t use their people and something happens to me, they might not come to my aid."
In the profit-driven game of commercial climbing, costs keep rising, but Lao Zhang feels the services and ethical standards on the mountain haven’t kept up. "Overall quality and professional ethics—the Nepalese guides are stronger in those aspects. They fulfill their responsibilities without making extra demands."
Feng Li once saw guides asking team members for things. "If you don’t satisfy a guide financially or materially, some will lower their service standards—they won’t be particularly motivated to assist climbers. Under Everest’s vast 'money outlook,' many people are fixated on profits."