Subsequently, Tibet Sacred Mountain Expedition responded to "Tianhan Qinqu's" plea on Weibo: "Wang Tianhan, a mountaineering enthusiast, climbed without permission to Camp 2 at 7,790 meters on Everest (climbing peaks above 7,000 meters requires approval from the General Administration of Sport of China, and only after obtaining such approval can one proceed. Wang Tianhan had no such approval, nor any climbing permit from the Tibet Mountaineering Association, which constitutes illegal climbing.)..."
Kidnapping, illegal climbing, Everest—these few simple words strung together have sparked many people’s imaginations. What is the background of this incident?
An investigation by reporters found that in order to climb Mount Everest, besides mountaineering skills, one must also obtain a climbing permit and prepare for costs of no less than 280,000 yuan. And if you want to climb from the Chinese side, you always have to go through the Sacred Mountain Expedition mentioned in the Weibo post. One mountaineer exclaimed, "It's the world's summit paved with gold."
The 280,000-yuan quote
Including costs for high-altitude guides, food and lodging, training, registration, equipment, etc.
Mountaineer Lao Zhang had been following the news of Wang Tianhan being "kidnapped" until he finally called Wang Tianhan and learned he had safely withdrawn to Lhasa before he could relax.
In Lao Zhang’s view, the Wang Tianhan incident was caused by 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 training and physical conditioning for mountaineering knowledge and skills organized by provincial-level or higher mountaineering associations. "Individuals cannot climb Everest; it must be applied for by a legal entity. Many of these legal entities are members of mountaineering associations. Aside from historically established organizations, others must turn to guide companies. Also, to climb Everest, you need qualifications: you must have climbed an 8,000-meter peak to summit Everest. To climb an 8,000-meter peak, going through a guide company will cost 100,000 to 200,000 yuan, and for a 7,000-meter peak, you also need a guide company—the current rate is about 30,000 yuan. As for climbing Everest through a guide company, the cost is now 280,000 yuan."
A mountaineer who has summited Everest, Feng Li (pseudonym), said that the current cost for a commercial climbing team is 280,000 yuan per person, compared to 250,000 yuan in 2008. A staff member of Tibet Sacred Mountain Expedition confirmed that the 280,000 yuan includes fees for high-altitude guides, food and lodging, training, registration, equipment, and more.
"Everest is different from other peaks. The climbing window on Everest is very short, the route is extremely crowded, and the reception capacity is limited. Using money as a lever is not unreasonable," Beihei believes. Everest itself has many commercial and permanent facilities. Mountaineering schools and guide companies once funded the creation of a route from base camp to the summit at great human and material cost, building many ladders. It would be unreasonable to use those ladders without bearing some of the cost. "So Everest is a highly commercialized mountain."
When Feng Li summited, the commercialization of Everest wasn’t so obvious, and the costs weren’t as high. "Climbing Everest is getting more and more expensive. Today’s Everest is the world’s summit paved with gold."
Footage taken by the UK's Daily Mail shows climbers lined up one after another. Netizen Wang Chunlei revealed on Weibo that Everest has also experienced congestion. On a certain day in May, around 3,000 meters up Everest, a narrow path led to a traffic jam of 150 people. As a result, four people were trapped for over three hours, ran out of oxygen, and lost their lives.
A game for the rich
Legend has it that some people have paid over a million yuan to climb Everest
Lao Zhang once joined a commercial climbing team to summit Everest. He believes that climbing Everest no longer requires very high professional skills, as long as the climber can handle high altitudes—it’s more about physical stamina. On the climbing team, he met a company boss under 50 years old but suffering from diabetes. "People with diabetes are generally prohibited from climbing, but the guides on the commercial team are very professional. The climbing route is equipped with ladders and other facilities, so climbing Everest is much easier now than before." He explained that most of today’s climbers are bosses and wealthy individuals. As long as you 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' for Everest is 280,000 yuan, and then there are the required climbing experiences at various altitudes—all of which come at additional cost."
"Many of those who can afford to pay to climb are CEOs. Some mountaineers join commercial teams, with the boss footing the bill and helping them reach the summit along the way. Without professional help, these bosses would hardly survive alone in the mountains." Feng Li, who has summited Everest several times, learned from conversations with high-altitude guides that many guides don’t actually enjoy frequent climbs. "Even though the fees are high, a lot of people still come to climb, and the guides are forced to make frequent ascents. Among these clients, many are bosses. There are also a small number of young people who climb for their ideals."
The salaries of high-altitude guides come from fixed wages, commissions, and also partly from bonuses provided by climbers. "After a successful summit, climbers typically give the guide a bonus of around 30,000 yuan. Some bosses even give as much as 100,000 yuan after reaching the top."
Once, Feng Li noticed during a climb that a boss hired over ten guides to help him summit Everest. "I learned that the highest price someone paid to summit Everest was over a million yuan, with over 100,000 yuan just in bonuses. And beyond the money, the total cost of the summit also included sponsorships of supplies."
"This has gone against the original spirit of mountaineering. Without money, you simply can't climb. It has become a club for the wealthy," Lao Zhang said. Reaching the world’s highest peak may satisfy climbers’ vanity, but climbing shouldn’t be a game only the rich can afford.
The inescapable "Sacred Mountain"
Many regulations push climbers toward guide companies,
And yet there is only one such guide company
"The essence of commercial mountaineering is monopolistic—certain individuals control the resources," Lao Zhang believes. Climbing Everest has become a big pie, and if you’re climbing from the north side, you basically can’t avoid Sacred Mountain Company. "Nowadays, many people opt to climb Everest from Nepal because the overall costs are much lower than in China, and the quality of the climbing guides is also quite good."
What kind of company is Sacred Mountain Company? Why must you go through this company to climb Everest? Feng Li says there are two routes to Everest: climbing from the Chinese side is known as the north slope, while Nepal is the south slope. High-altitude guides trained by the Tibet Mountaineering School are sent to Sacred Mountain Company. "Aside from Sacred Mountain, there are a few smaller foreign companies, but in terms of service and safety, they don’t pose a threat to Sacred Mountain."
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 says that if an individual wants to form their own team, they must apply and register with the Tibet Mountaineering Association. The registration fee is 5,000 US dollars. "No matter the number of people, the registration fee is 5,000 US dollars. If you don’t go through Sacred Mountain Company, you have to apply on your own, raising the threshold—you need to have 8,000-meter climbing experience and also pay a 5,000 USD registration fee. If you go through Sacred Mountain Company, many of these barriers are lowered, and they handle all 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 effectively only one such company — a de facto monopoly and a case of forced sales,” Bei Hei said. Nowadays, Mount Everest only accepts group treks, and climbers must sign up through a company. This regulation indirectly funnels climbers toward guide services. 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 you can’t avoid them either.
Individual applicants must specify corresponding conditions as well as list the gear and equipment they’ll bring, and the checklist must be clear and detailed. Feng Li said that upon completing the application process, you receive a climbing permit. If you apply through Sacred Mountain Company, part of the fees — such as the registration fee — goes to the local mountaineering association, while the rest becomes revenue for Sacred Mountain Company.
A staff member of the Tibet Mountaineering Association stated that according to China’s mountain climbing management regulations, approval for climbing activities is mandatory. Once activity approval is granted, inexperienced climbers must be accompanied by certified high-altitude guides. The regional mountaineering management authority is required to allocate 20% of the climbing registration fee to the county-level government where the mountain is located each year. In addition, there is also a modest environmental protection fee for climbing, 60%–80% of which also goes to the local government. These funds are used to provide free training and guidance on climbing service skills for residents near the mountain area. The collected registration and environmental fees are mainly used for mountain management and related environmental maintenance.
Concerns Beneath the “Money Prospects”
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 felt is the departure of the Russell team. “They were highly professional as a guiding team and offered relatively high safety standards. Now the Russell team has been kicked out from the north side and moved to the south side in Nepal to provide guiding services. For commercial climbs, you can only go with one company — Sacred Mountain Company.”
“The commercialization of Everest has gone too far. Nowadays, some high-altitude guides are more concerned about how much tip they get, and they even compare the tips given by different team clients,” Feng Li said. Several years ago when he climbed Everest, he encountered 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 pick up commercial information through conversations, such as climbing costs and spending amounts. Nowadays, everyone is rather indifferent, with almost no communication; it’s just you climb your way, I climb mine.”
Feng Li once thought about hiring a Nepalese guide to climb Everest from the north side, but gave up due to language barriers and coordination issues. “In the mountains, coordination among guides is crucial. Almost all the commercial climbing teams on the north side come from one company’s guides. If I didn’t use their people, and something happened to me, they probably wouldn’t lend a hand.”
Amid the interest-driven game of commercial climbing, costs keep rising, but Lao Zhang feels that the services provided and the ethical standards on the mountain haven’t kept up. “Overall quality and professional ethics — the Nepalese guides are somewhat 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 people’s service standards change — they won’t be particularly motivated to serve climbers. Under Everest’s vast ‘money prospects,’ many people have their eyes set on profit.”