A bypass for Everest: Nepal seeks to lure climbers to alternative mountains.

Himalayan peaks could be leased to private tourism companies in an attempt to ease increasing congestion on Mount Everest, officials in Nepal have said.

The proposal would involve hiring out some of the 326 Himalayan peaks that are currently open to climbers in the poor south Asian country, in an attempt to lure mountaineers away from Everest.

The highest mountain in the world is suffering from traffic jams and environmental degradation as hundreds of mountaineers attempt its ascent in a short window of favourable weather in late spring every year. Hundreds of other peaks, many unclimbed, receive no attention.

The move is also designed to attract more climbers to the impoverished country, which depends on the revenue from tourism.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/11/everest-nepal-leasing-mountains-private-companies-himalayas