Nepal has recognised a 41-year-old Chinese woman mountaineer’s climb of Mt Everest in May despite the controversy over the use of a helicopter during the ascent.
Wang Jing, a businesswoman, scaled the 8848 metre summit, the highest peak in the world, on May 23 accompanied by five local mountain guides.
The government had earlier refused to recognise the climb as she used helicopter as part of the expedition.
However, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation took a decision to recognise the ascent citing that she had used the chopper in special circumstance, said Tilak Pandey, an official at the ministry.
“We investigated the issue and decided to recognise her summit due to special circumstances. The ministry has already awarded certificates to Wang and to the five Nepalese guides who accompanied her,” Pandey said.
The climb was recognised despite the partly use of helicopter in the expedition, as she successfully scaled the peak in spite of the fact that all other expeditions had suspended their climb after the death of 16 Sherpas in the deadliest avalanche that occurred in early May, he said.
According to the official at the Tourism Minister Wang used a chopper to carry some equipment at an advanced camp but climbed the mountain on her own foot.
Nepalese authorities normally only allow flights to Camp 2 to conduct rescues, but teams were allowed to use choppers to transport equipment in May as the route below, usually prepared by guides with ropes and ladders, had not been completed.
Almost all the climbers’ plan to scale Everest from the Nepalese side- the most popular route to the peak- after the avalanche virtually ended this year’s climbing season.