Climbers return to Mount Everest, with social distancing and Covid-19 insurance. Lakpa Sherpa, managing director of Pioneer Adventure, checking oxygen masks and cylinders before sending them to Everest Base Camp for this year’s expedition.Credit...Uma Bista for The New York Times April 5, 2021, 8:03 a.m. ET After Nepal was forced to close its mountain trails last year, dealing its economy a devastating blow, the tiny Himalayan country has reopened Mount Everest and its seven other 26,200-foot-plus peaks in the hope of a rebound. For this year’s climbing season, from March to May, Nepal has granted more than 300 climbers the licenses needed to ascend the world’s tallest peak. Many of those climbers hope to reach the summit, 5.5 miles above sea level.