The number of mountaineering expeditions is on the rise as the climbing season get underway in the Nepal Himalayas.

Some 31 expeditions are already headed towards Mt. Everest, the central attraction, this spring season. This is more than the number of teams that arrived during the whole of last year when 24 climbing parties took a shot at the tallest peak on the earth.

 The mood is high at other Himalayan peaks too. Dinesh Hari Adhikari, joint secretary at Tourism industry Division, Ministry of culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said that they have granted climbing permits to 85 teams in total this season, up from around six dozen last year.

“A combination of factors like China’s ban on climbing mount everest from the Tibetan side because of the Olympic torch relay, and peace returning in Nepal is bringing more mountaineers to the country at this time,” said Bikram Pandey, managing director of Himalayan Expedition.

Mountaineers are considered to be high-spending visitors as they pay huge sums for climbing permits and stay longer in the country.  It is estimated that and expedition normally employs around 600 porters and 400 others as guides, cooks and kitchen boys during the time it stays in Nepal.

Meanwhile, amid the euphoria on the tourism front, global warming is emerging as a threat to the very survival of the mountains.

This seasons, an international team of mountaineers is embarking on a landmark eco-expedition to Everest to highlight the rapid climate change taking place in the Himalayas.

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