KATHMANDU, APRIL 23
China has reportedly closed two of the mountains above 8,000m in Tibet this season, shattering the dream of many climbers to complete all 14 peaks this year.
Most of the climbers who were waiting for climbing permits from the Chinese authorities have received a bad news in Kathmamdu this morning alerting them that they wouldn't be allowed to climb Mt Cho Oyu and Mt Shishapangma this year.
Chinese mountaineering authority has circulated a message that they wouldn't allow climbing activities in Cho Oyu and Shishapangma but has not said anything about Everest, a climber who has been waiting for a permit in Kathmandu, said.
Dreams of joining 14 eight-thousander club for many climbers including 20-year-old Shehroze Kashif and Sirbaz Khan from Pakistan, renowned Turkish climber Aydın Irmak, Naoko Watanabe from Japan, young Scottish-French mountaineer Alasdair Mckenzie, renowned Nepali woman climber Dawa Yangzum Sherpa and Arjun Vajpai from India among others.
"All climbers who are now in Kathmandu are shocked after receiving this information," Turkish climber Aydın said, adding that we all climbers wanted the actual reasons behind Chinese last-minute move.
It's really a shocking news and we still hope for best, youngest Pakistani climber Shehroze reacted.
There were also plans to conduct search and recovery missions in Shishapangma this season. The news comes at a time when a team was ready to bring the bodies of two mountaineers - American mountaineer Anna Gutu and Mingmar Sherpa - from Camp II. Record-holding climber Kristin Harila is in Nepal to coordinate the search for her climbing partner Tenjen Sherpa (Lama) who perished in Shishapangma last year. Sister of Gina Marie Rzucidlo is also in Kathmandu to coordinate for a search mission. Gina and Lama had gone missing in an avalanche while climbing Shishapangma last year.
