China has temporarily closed its Mount Everest base camp while the astonishing amount of rubbish that has accumulated over the years, littering the most gruelling ascent for climbers, is dealt with.
Only climbers with permits will be allowed to climb as far as the Rongphu Monastery base in China, which is 5,200 metres above sea level.
There is a base camp on the Nepalese side, of course, but it takes weeks to reach it, whereas Rongphu can even be reached by car.
The closure was already announced in December, but Chinese mountaineering fanatics got in a frenzy recently when they thought the Chinese base would be closed forever.
According to the Chinese Mountaineering Association, about 40,000 climbers visited its base camp in 2015, and about 5,000 more visited the Nepalese side in 2016.
Everest is, of course, the highest mountain in the world at 8,848 metres above sea level, and the ultimate challenge for mountain-climbing enthusiasts.
Featured image from Unsplash
