Nepal opens up 104 new peaks for climbing

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Katmandu, Nepal • A mountaineering official says Nepal has opened 104 new mountain peaks for climbers, including two named after the conquerors of Mount Everest.

Tourism Ministry official Maddhu Sudan Burlakoti said the peaks opened by the government include 7,681-meter (25,200-foot) high Hillary and 7,916-meter (25,970-foot) Tenzing.

New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay became the first people to climb Everest on May 29, 1953. Next week marks the 61st anniversary of the conquest.

An avalanche swept Everest last month, killing 16 Nepalese Sherpa guides in the mountain's worst climbing disaster ever. Everest's climbing season was cancelled.

Hundreds of climbers come to Nepal every year to scale the Himalayan peaks. Nepal has eight of the 14 tallest peaks in the world.