The jet stream has retreated, the fixed ropes have been coiled, and the thin, biting air of the Everest balcony has fallen silent once more. Spring 2026 is in the books, but for the founders of 8K Expeditions, the world’s rooftop was merely the opening act.
The government has listed a string of tourism and civil aviation achievements from the first 100 days in office, under Prime Minister Balendra Shah's administration, ranging from the approval of flydubai's regular flight schedule from Pokhara International Airport to the digitisation of mountaineering permit services and the launch of a national health tourism strategy — outlining what it describes as a period of significant policy and operational reform for the sector.
The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sustainable Tourism Project (STP) — a joint initiative of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nepal — to run a series of specialised mountaineering training programmes across three of Nepal's most iconic Himalayan regions.
Six of Nepal's leading mountaineering organisations have jointly urged the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) to restart its Basic Mountaineering Training (BMT) and Advanced Mountaineering Training (AMT) courses, which have remained suspended since 2019, warning that the gap is undermining the pipeline of skilled mountain professionals in the country.
Nepal's major mountaineering bodies have formally rejected any links to a privately organised 'Everest Summiteers Summit' in their replies to the Department of Tourism, while also demanding regulatory action over alleged irregularities.