KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 11

The Department of Tourism (DoT) has issued 678 permits to scale 36 peaks above 6,000 metres, accumulating a total of over Rs 48.67 million in royalties, as of Tuesday.

As many as 542 male and 136 female climbers from 55 countries, including Nepal, are set to scale various mountains across the country this autumn. Of the total royalties, over Rs 34 million was collected from issuing permits to Mt Manaslu (8,163m) alone.

So far, the DoT has issued 301 permits for Manaslu; 91 for Himlung Himal (7,126m); 81 for Ama Dablam (6,814m); 29 for Thorong Peak (6,144m); 23 each for Barun Tse (7,129m) and Dhaulagiri (8,167m) respectively; 15 for Saribung (6,328m); eight for Putha Hiunchuli (7,246m); and Tukuche Peak (6,920m) each; and six each for Khayang (6,186m), Ratna Chuli (7,128m), and Dolma Khang (6,332m) respectively, among others.

Similarly, five permits have been issued for Cho-Oyu (8,201m), where a Russian team will attempt to summit this season. Russian climbers Andrei Vasiliev, Vitaly Shipilov, Victoria Klimenko, Sergey Kondrashkin, and Kirill Eiselman will attempt Cho Oyu to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Russian mountaineering and the Russian Ministry of Sports.

Of the total climbers, 68 climbers are from China, 58 from France, 49 from the United States, 47 from Japan, 39 from Russia, 38 from Germany, 33 from the United Kingdom, 31 from Australia, 27 from Poland, 24 from Switzerland, and 36 Nepalis, among other countries.

In the autumn season of the last fiscal year, the DoT had issued permits to 822 climbers from 67 countries to scale 34 mountains across the country.

That same year, 404 permits were issued just for Mt Manaslu, accumulating Rs 46 million in royalties out of a total collection of over Rs 67.12 million.