Upgraded team to help clean Tibetan mountains

The Tibet Mountaineering Team has been upgraded to the national level China Mountaineering Team (Tibet) and will perform large-scale cleanup activities this year. It marks the first time remains of mountaineering victims above 8,000 meters will be recovered on Qomolangma.

As part of the campaign, victims' remains will be brought down from the mountain when possible, according to Nyima Tsering, the team captain.

Moreover, the region plans to reduce by about one-third the amount of climbers permitted in 2019 on the northern slope of Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, to better fight pollution.

Founded in 1960, the Tibet Mountaineering Team has helped cultivate mountaineering professionals over the decades.

The Qomolangma National Nature Reserve, which was founded in 1988, encompasses over 33,800 square kilometers.

Nyima Tsering, who also serves as head of the Tibet Sports Bureau, said China's highest peaks are all located in Tibet, and the region is key to the country's mountaineering activities.

Nyima Tsering said the new team upgrade marks an advance in the region's overall mountaineering skill set.

Tibet's efforts in cleaning its mountaineering venues have gradually reached the goal of normalization and legalization in recent years.

New legislation has been enacted in the reserve to conserve the environment surrounding the world's highest mountain.

According to the legislation, Tibet will limit the period it allows climbers to scale Qomolangma to spring, and the amount of climbers will be kept under 300, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The legislation also regulates climbing, tourism, scientific exploration, engineering projects and ranger patrols.

No production facilities are allowed in the core area of the reserve, which makes up about one-third of the total area.

According to the regulation, tree felling, herding, hunting and collecting natural specimens in the reserve are prohibited, with violators subject to prosecution.

The region has five mountains above 8,000 meters, more than 70 above 7,000 meters, and over 1,000 above 6,000 meters.

Only 46 peaks are open to mountaineers, and removal of rubbish is required whenever a climb takes place.

According to the region's mountaineering statistics, more than 300 climbers reached the summit of Qomolangma over the past six decades, and over 2,300 reached the summits of peaks above 8,000 meters.

The region's mountaineering team received more than 20,000 overseas climbers from 40 countries in the past eight years.