Are juveniles permitted for Everest trek?

Kathmandu, Feb. 2:

Taking advantage of the absence of clear policy and procedures about taking children to the high mountains of Nepal, a couple from Scotland took their 2-year-old toddler to the Everest Base Camp (EBC) on October 25 last year.

Now the child, Carter Dallas, is catapulted to a celebrity status after British media carried the news about the feat on January 29 this year. 

His news has been carried by numerous media in South Asia and around the world leaving the audience amazed. 

Carter was taken to the EBC located at 17,598 feet above sea level by his parents Ross, 35, and Jade, 31. 

The British media claimed that the toddler is considered as the youngest person ever to reach the EBC. 

Earlier, a four-year-old girl from the Czech Republic was considered as the youngest person to reach the Base Camp. According to Czech Radio, four and a half years old girl Zara Sifra having Czech and Canadian dual citizenship, reached there on January 7 this year with her father and seven-year-old brother, Alex.

A news report carried by The Telegraph quoted Ross as saying that the child coped better than his father and got no other problems other than slight altitude sickness. 

However, the feat of the toddler has led to a debate as to what extent should juvenile trekkers or climbers should be allowed to go up. 

It has drawn the attention of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA), Department of Tourism, Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) and a couple of federal and provincial agencies working in the tourism sector. 

They are mulling over the question – of whether juveniles should be allowed to climb high mountains of Nepal. 

According to the officials of the tourism ministries and departments, there is no any law or rule that sets age bar for a person to reach 

high altitude area including the base camps like EBC, Annapurna Base Camp and Kanchenjunga Base Camp.

They said that it seemed that the parents took the risk of taking their child to the EBC on their own. Experts also said that the altitude has varied impacts on the people from mountains, hills and plains. 

The authorities in Nepal don't have the information about the trekking agency that recommended the child for the EBC. The permission for trekking is issued on the recommendation of the trekking agency. 

Nilhari Bastola, President of TAAN, said that they were looking for the company that recommended for the permission which would take a couple of days. 

"The TAAN doesn't suggest any member companies to recommend a minor for high-altitude trekking. But there is no law to check this," he said while adding, "Since the issue was never in discussion in Nepal and abroad, trekking agencies believed on what the guardians of the children said to them." 

According to the rules, a person should be at least 16 years of age to climb mountains above 5,800 metres (19,028.8 feet). Mountains with lower heights are considered as trekking peak, said Rakesh Gurung, Director of Adventure Tourism and Mountaineering Section at the Department of Tourism (DoT).

So, as per this rule, the base camps of the high peaks fall under the trekking product for which there is no age limit, this allows the trekkers to make decisions about their companions. According to Gurung, the government has not been strict about issuing permission for the trekkers who want to go for EBC or ABC trek. 

"However, this trend of taking small kids to such a high altitude just for the sake of making records does no good," he said. 

Had there been any untoward incidents during the child's trek to the EBC, there would have been much negative publicity of Nepal, trekking entrepreneurs said. 

Meanwhile, the TAAN is mulling over the idea of writing to the federal Tourism Ministry suggesting the need for a guideline on the age or other factors for the trekkers going for high altitude areas such as the EBC. 

"We will also suggest the trek operators not to take such risks," said Bastola.

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 3 February 2024.