China will stop issuing permits to foreigners climbing the Tibet side of Mount Everest for the rest of the year after a Polish man illegally crossed into Nepal.
In a notice issued last week, the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) said that it would be suspending climbing permits in all of Tibet for the upcoming autumn season, including popular summits Cho Oyu and Shishapangma.
The ban was implemented after 49-year-old Polish citizen Janusz Adam Adamski "illegally scaled [Everest] from the north side," entering Nepal in the south via the summit.
“His action causes the industry related internal rules and regulations need to be adjusted and improved,” the statement added.
"In order to solve the series of above problems in time, and provide a good condition to all expeditions in 2018 … the climbing permits will not be granted in autumn 2017."
The notice didn't specify that the ban only applied to foreigners, however CTMA spokesman told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Chinese moutaineers wouldn't be affected.
A climbing operator also told the AFP that the situation is "often fluid."
"Sometimes they are very quick with their decision and can change it as well," said renowned Nepali mountaineer Mingma Sherpa.
The decision has sparked outrage in the international climbing community, with one blogger slamming Adamski for his "selfishness."
Adamski has been banned from climbing in Nepal for ten years for climbing the world's tallest mountain without the required GBP8,500 permit, but he doesn't regret it.
"I’ll never regret what I did," he said.
[Images via Daily Mail, The Times]
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