Nepal announces incentives for climbing Mount Everest

According to local media reports, charges will be halved for climbs in autumn and by 75 per cent in winter.

Each expedition pays about 70,000 dollars in fees to climb the 8,848 metre high mountain on average.

The decision was made in a bid to promote ascents during the off- season, according to Nepal's Tourism Minister, Prithvi Subba Gurung, quoted in the newspaper Samacharpatra.

Hardly any climbers attempt the world's highest mountain in the winter months as temperatures can fall to 50 degrees Celsius below zero.

In contrast, April and May of this year saw 200 expeditions attempt Mount Everest. - dpa