'Mountaineering expeditions 'bit dangerous' now'

Kathmandu, May 10: Mountaineering expeditions now are “a bit dangerous” as the aftershocks continue and nobody knows for sure if there are any cracks inside the mountain slopes, the Nepal Mountaineering Association said on Sunday. The association’s first vice president Santa Bir Lama told Xinhua news agency that after the April 25 earthquake, there are still 700 to 800 people, including the local guides, at the base camps of various peaks of the Himalayas. But now, about 80 percent of them have already moved down from the mountains. “Climbers are worried and the guides are not in their mood now because many of them lost their family members and houses during the earthquake,” Lama said. Many climbers who have moved down from the mountains are considering to return to their countries. As the best two-week window for climbing Mount Everest, starting from May 15 to May 29, is drawing near, Lama said the government still hesitates whether to cancel the expeditions which have brought a lot of income for the country. According to Lama, the earthquake has caused a “very big problem” for tourism in Nepal as the government has to reconstruct the roads and bridges in the mountainous areas. (IANS)