Everest climbers to get stairway to heaven

Nepal is considering installing ladders on the vertical cliff that is the final obstacle climbers scaling Mount Everest have to overcome when they tackle the world’s highest peak, The Times of Britain reports.

As part of a package of measures designed to prevent the overcrowding on the 29,029-foot mountain that has contributed to frequent deaths and injuries, the Government said that steel ladders and extra fixed ropes may be bolted on to the 40-foot-high Hillary Step, which lies 300 feet below the summit, to improve safety.

“There is a traffic jam at the Hillary Step during the main climbing months between April and June, so steel ladders and extra fixed ropes may be bolted on to the 40-foot-high step,” one Nepalese official explained.

One of the reasons why such initiatives are being taken is that the number of climbers challenging the tallest mountain in the world has been dwindling.

With rising casualties and economic difficulties around the world, the Nepalese government recently slashed the admission and climbing costs by as much as half.