Climbers Can Tackle Mount Everest Again This Fall As Nepal Reopens Mountains

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2020/08/05 17:30

Today's Vocabulary

1.salvage (v)
to try to make a bad situation better

 

2. trekkers (n)
people who do hiking

 



3. sherpas(n)
a member of a Himalayan people who are skilled mountain climbers and who are often employed to help visiting climbers

 

 



4. porters(n)
a person whose job is to carry things, especially travellers’ bags at railway stations, airports, hotels

5. ascents(v)
the act of climbing or moving upwards

6. slopes(n)
the side of a hill or mountain

Climbers Can Tackle Mount Everest Again This Fall As Nepal Reopens Mountains

After shutting down all mountain climbing, Nepal invites hikers back this fall in an attempt to salvage its tourism economy.

The world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, will reopen to trekkers this fall after mountain climbing in Nepal was shut down in March because of coronavirus concerns. The Asian nation announced on July 30 that it would start issuing permits for the peak, as well as its other Himalayan mountains, in time for the autumn climbing season from September to November.

With the lack of a need for trekking services during the popular months of April and May, an estimated 200,000 sherpas, guides, and porters lost their jobs, resulting in millions of dollars in losses. In May,30 foreigners arrived, as opposed to 70,000 the previous year.

But local climbing companies still aren’t sure trekkers are ready to return for the major ascents. “Some climbers to smaller mountains may come, but I have my doubts about the big ones,” Kathmandu-based expedition operator Ang Tshering told Reuters.

The opening adds to criticism the government has received in recent years for prioritizing tourism dollars over human lives by issuing too many permits, while the bodies of an estimated 150 of the 300 who have died attempting to climb Everest remain on its slopes.

Resource: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/nepal-reopens-mountain-trekking-mount-everest

Discussion
  1. What are your outdoor activities?
  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of trekking?
  3. Have you tried climbing any mountains? How did you feel?

“I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”

Robert Frost