On Monday, mountain guides planning expeditions on the north side of Mount Everest got a letter saying China is closing its part of the peak to foreign climbers this spring.

The letter from the China Tibet Mountaineering Association said all expeditions should be postponed until May 10.

It’s widely believed the closure is designed to keep protesters away while Chinese climbers attempt to take the Olympic torch to the summit. The letter itself cited overcrowding and environmental concerns.

Eric Simonson, co-owner of Ashford’s International Mountain Guides, said he was surprised when he got the news via mountaineering authorities in Nepal. Last year, he and others were told China would not close the mountain.

Simonson’s company had reservations for two groups on Everest’s north side. He spent much of Tuesday calling clients and employees to reschedule a trek through Tibet.

He has yet to learn if his company will be reimbursed for climbing permit fees and other prepaid expenses by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which controls access to the north face of Everest on behalf of the Chinese government.

While the closure of the northern face is frustrating for IMG, Simonson said his guide service stands to lose “several hundred thousand dollars” should Nepal bow to Chinese pressure to close the more popular southern routes. IMG has already shipped more than 11 tons of food and other supplies to Nepal.

According to one Web site, Mountaintrip.com, a trip with guides up the south face would cost $65,000 per person in 2008, including royalties, which are based on a sliding scale.

The Chinese government reportedly is trying to persuade Nepal to close its climbing routes to keep pro-Tibetan independence demonstrators from trying to meet the torch at the summit.

The torch relay begins in Greece on March 24. The torch is expected to make its summit bid in early May, with the exact date determined by weather.

China took over Tibet by force in 1951 and crushed a violent revolt against Chinese rule in 1956.

On Monday, Chinese security forces broke up a protest by 300 monks in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa who were demanding freedom for monks in jail.

That prompted an angry exchange between the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, and Chinese authorities, who say the 72-year-old Nobel Peace laureate hopes to disrupt preparations for the August games.

But despite simmering international anger over China’s continued control of what it calls the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Everest closure surprised Western mountaineers.

“That, I don’t understand,” said Gordon Janow of Seattle’s Alpine Ascents International. “It’s like saying you can’t go to Bellingham because they’re having trouble in Canada.”

Simonson says his Himalayan climbing contacts are telling him it looks as if the Nepalese government will compromise. Climbers will be allowed to establish base camp and climb the world’s highest peak, but they won’t be allowed on the 29,028-foot summit while the torch is there.

“I don’t even know what a protest at that altitude would look like,” Janow said. “Maybe they plant a Tibet flag next to the torch? I’m pretty sure there won’t be any wrestling around. And it’s not like there’s going to be anybody around to see this.”

Janow said he’s concerned people will try to climb Everest’s north side quickly when the closure is lifted May 10. Doing so would mean climbing without taking time to get acclimatized to the high altitude.

For all the trouble the closure is creating, Simonson said he understands why China wants to run the torch to the Everest summit.

“Like it or not, half the mountain is in China, so they claim a significant piece of real estate,” Simonson said.

“If they want to light the Olympic torch on top of Mount Everest, they’re going to make it happen.”

Craig Hill: 253-597-8497

blogs.thenewstribune.com/adventure

The New York Times contributed to this report.