• Loading stock data...
Friday, July 11, 2025

With Everest Open, Tourism Climbs Back

  • Nepal has reopened Mount Everest for the 2021 climbing season, after 2020 closures decimated the economy.
  • The small nation is highly dependent on Everest-related tourism.
Design: Alex Brooks

What’s more dangerous than climbing Mount Everest? Climbing Mount Everest during a pandemic.

Nepal closed its Everest trails last year, dealing a crippling blow to the country’s tourism-dependent economy, but has reopened them this year with additional safety protocols. Mountaineering tourism employs around one million people in the nation of 30 million.

The tallest mountain in the world (measuring from sea level), has become a tourist magnet in the last 20 years. 

  • The number of people reaching the summit grew from just over 100 in 2000 to a record 876 in 2019, bringing in $2 billion in revenue. 
  • The physical stress of ascending to 29,029 feet causes heavy spending on oxygen tanks and masks, mountaineering equipment, sherpas, and other support staff.

The extra traffic had serious consequences: 11 people died on the mountain in 2019, in part because heavy traffic on trails slowed ascents and descents, further exposing them to the elements. 

The reopening comes at a precarious time: coronavirus cases in Nepal had dropped off since their peak in October and November but have crept back up a bit during March. Meanwhile, conditions are far worse in neighboring India, which had its highest day of new cases on record on Sunday. 

To start their journey, travelers will have to show a vaccination certificate or a negative RT-PCR test at the Kathmandu airport before taking on the vaunted peak.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

July 9, 2009; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars during the press conference to introduce their new head coach John Kuester at their practice facility.

Joe Dumars Leaving NBA League Office to Run Pelicans

Joe Dumars was the architect of the 2004 champion Pistons.
Mar 20, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Karter Knox (11) controls the ball against Kansas Jayhawks during the first half at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

Men’s March Madness Sets Opening-Day Viewership Record

CBS Sports and TNT Sports scored big with Arkansas–Kansas.

Callaway’s LIV Deal Shows How Much Golf Has Shifted

The company has signed a first-of-its-kind club contract.
Jun 13, 2018; Moscow, Russia; A general view of a beer stand inside of Luschniki Stadium one day prior to the start of the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Saudi Arabia Says No Alcohol at 2034 World Cup

Saudi Arabia won’t allow alcohol anywhere during the 2034 World Cup.

Featured Today

Rimouski, QC - JUNE 1: Final Game of the 2025 Memorial Cup between the Medicine Hats Tigers and the London Knights on June 1, 2025, at the Colisée Financière Sun Life in Rimouski, Qc.

CHL Is Facing a ‘Pandora’s Box’ of Questions Amid NCAA Talent Departure

As players defect to college, the Canadian Hockey League won’t cede ground.
Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.
July 9, 2025

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
Sponsored

Win. Advance. Repeat: The Professional Fighters League’s Rise to Prominence 

As of 2025, PFL has introduced a World Tournament format, where every fighter must battle through a high-stakes bracket to reach a championship.
Sponsored

How On Location is Redefining the Olympic Winter Games Hospitality Experience

As the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 approaches, On Location—the Official Hospitality Provider—is redefining luxury hospitality.
The 2018 Ragin' Crossfit Games are held at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette.
March 14, 2025

CrossFit for Sale After Years of Drama and Attrition

The intense fitness workout got popular in the early 2000s.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Sponsored

How On Location is Redefining the Olympic Winter Games Hospitality Experience

As the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 approaches, On Location—the Official Hospitality Provider—is redefining luxury hospitality.
Sponsored

The Surprising Ingredient That Can Improve Your VO2 Max

In the high-stakes world of sports, VO2 max—or maximum oxygen consumption—has emerged as a critical marker of endurance and performance.
Peloton Bike
October 31, 2024

Peloton Earnings Beat Expectations As It Still Loses Subscribers

Peloton tapped Peter Stern, former Ford executive and cofounder of Apple Fitness+, to be its new CEO.
September 4, 2024

Under Armour Sells MapMyFitness Back to Founders 11 Years Later

The founders sold the tracking app to the apparel giant in 2013.