Approval to be required to scale high mountains

Climbers will have to seek approval for scaling mountains more than 3,500 meters above sea level in Sichuan province, according to a new regulation on mountaineering that will take effect on Jan 1.

Any institution that organizes unauthorized trips to mountains more than 3,500 meters above sea level will be fined 1,000 yuan ($157), said the Methods on Mountaineering in Sichuan Province, which was published on the Sichuan provincial government website on Tuesday.

Climbers who want to scale mountains more than 3,500 meters above sea level will have to file their application to relevant departments under the sports bureaus in cities and prefectures where the mountains are located 10 workdays before they start scaling mountains.