The deaths of four French climbers who tried to scale a 7 242m Himalayan summit after crossing illegally into Tibet has highlighted the high-risk culture of ”peak hopping” in the growing adventure sport.
The group had bought a relatively inexpensive permit for the 5 928m Mount Paldor, about 80km north of Kathmandu, which is described as a ”straightforward climb”. But they slipped across the Himalayas into China and tried to scale the Tibetan face of Ganesh Himal 7, off-limits to climbers.
All four are believed to have died in an avalanche on the mountainside and the search for them was abandoned last Thursday.
The men have not been sighted since mid-October. Authorities had scrambled a helicopter to Paldor after another French team that was supposed to meet up with them in early November reported them missing. They were all experienced mountaineers and did not use local guides.
Nepalese climbers say the phenomenon of peak hopping is now rampant.
”Only a few peaks are open for climbers on the Nepal-China border. These [climbers] just take a permit for one mountain and then climb another,” said Deebas Shah, the general secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, which issues permits for the country’s mountains. ”At least 25% [of mountaineers] in Nepal are [climbing] illegally.”
Apart from sidestepping the bureaucracy and the steep fees for climbing mountains — a group of four would have to pay $25 000 to scale Everest — the thrill for mountaineers is tackling the unconquered, off-limits peaks on the roof of the world.
Shah said the only fear for many climbers was the risk of being stuck on a mountain without any way of calling for help. But he said this disregard for personal safety was the reason many did it. — Â