Eleven climbers were killed or went missing on the 8,850-metre mountain in May.

Nepal must make training and experience in high-altitude climbing mandatory for all climbers on Mount Everest and other high peaks, a government panel has said following the deadliest climbing season in four years.

Eleven climbers were killed or went missing on the 8,850-metre mountain in May – nine on the Nepali side and two on the Tibetan side.

The Nepali panel – made up of government officials, climbing experts and agencies representing the climbing community – was set up after climbers and guides criticised officials after the deaths for allowing anyone who paid $11,000 to climb Everest, the world’s highest mountain.

“Climbers to Sagarmatha and other 8,000 metre mountains must undergo basic and high altitude climbing training,” the panel said in a report submitted to the government on Thursday, referring to the Nepali name for Mount Everest.

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The report said those hoping to climb Everest must climb at least one Nepali peak above 6,500 metres before getting a permit. Climbers must also submit a certificate of good health and physical fitness, and be accompanied by a trained Nepali guide, it added.

The committee also proposed a fee of at least $35,000 for Everest and $20,000 for other mountains over 8,000 metres.

Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, a senior official with Nepal’s tourism ministry, said the recommendations would be implemented.

“The government will now make the required changes in laws and regulations guiding mountain climbing,” he told Reuters news agency.

Nepal issued 381 permits for Everest for this year’s climbing season, which tends to culminate in May when the daylight and weather are the most forgiving.

Eleven climbers were killed or went missing on the 8,850-metre mountain in May [File: Getty Images]

Mountain climbing is a key source of employment and income for Nepal, a country that is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains.

But the high number of climbers in May led to crowding in the so-called death zone, where there are very low oxygen levels. That put lives at risk as oxygen cylinders ran out while up to 100 people waited in the queue.

Mira Acharya, a member of the panel, said “climbers died due to altitude sickness, heart attack, exhaustion or weaknesses and not due to traffic jams.”

She said the compulsory provision of guides for each climber was to discourage solo attempts which put lives at risk.

A reliable weather forecasting system should be in place and rope fixing should be done in time, giving enough space for the climbers to use a window of good weather to reach the summit, the report said.