Mountaineers are now required to obtain approval from relevant departments if they plan to scale mountains in Sichuan Province that tower over 3,500 meters above sea level, according to a report by China Daily.
The new rule on mountaineering will be implemented starting Jan. 1.
According to the Methods on Mountaineering in Sichuan Province, organizations and institutions that fail to comply with the new regulation will subjected to a fine of 1,000 yuan ($157). The announcement was placed on the official Sichuan provincial government website on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Relevant departments include sports bureaus located in cities and prefectures where the mountain is located. Interested parties must file their applications 10 work days before the assault.
Meanwhile, mountaineers who plan to scale mountains over 7,000 meters above sea level are required to send their application to departments overseen by the General Administration of Sport of China.
The departments and provincial sports bureaus are required to provide free information about the mountains, such as the risks of assault, road conditions, climate, and the names of the mountain peaks.
The provincial government departments will also offer free help in case of emergencies; that is, if the mountaineers in need of help were approved by the relevant offices.
The new regulation was formulated in light of recent mountaineering accidents that occurred in Sichuan Province, said Tao Junpei, an information officer from the Sichuan provincial government.
According to Gao Min, deputy chief of the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, 22 Chinese and foreign climbers were killed in the Gongga Mountains, 7,556 meters above sea level.
Mountains in Sichuan Province, which number over 2,000, feature complicated terrain and unpredictable weather, making the region a challenging mountaineering feat for advanced to hardened climbers.