Story highlights Police don't know how elderly man survived for a week in rubble 
 
 Finance minister says authorities still haven't reached some flattened villages 
 
 Nearly 300,000 houses have been completely or partially destroyed, he says 
 
 (CNN) Police rescued a 101-year-old man from under the rubble of his home on Saturday, one week after an earthquake hit his country, Nepal Police spokesman Kamal Singh Bam told CNN. 
 
 The elderly man is in stable condition and police do not know how he survived or the extent of his injuries. He was rescued in Nuwakot district, just northwest of the capital, Kathmandu. 
 
 The death toll from the devastating magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal last weekend stands at 7,250, and the number of people injured is 14,122, according to the National Emergency Operation Center. 
 
 Funchu Tamang, 101, sits at a hospital in Nuwakot district on Sunday after being rescued from his collapsed home. 
 
 A Nepalese government minister warned Sunday that the death toll is expected to climb "much higher." 
 
 "There are still villages where we know that all houses have been destroyed, but have not yet been able to reach," Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said at an event in Baku, Azerbaijan. 
 
 Read More ||||| Nepal earthquake: Climbing firms call off Mt Everest season; government says mountain remains open 
 
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 Fears of further avalanches in the wake of last month's devastating earthquake in Nepal have led top tour companies to cancel this year's climbing season at Mount Everest. 
 
 It means for the second year in a row virtually nobody will reach the top of the world's tallest mountain. 
 
 "With ongoing aftershocks and tremors we can't continue expeditions," said two-time Everest summiteer Dawa Steven Sherpa of Kathmandu-based Asian Trekkers. 
 
 "And there is nothing in place for climbers anyway ... so there is no point in continuing this season." 
 
 Some 800 climbers were on the mountain when an avalanche roared through base camp sparked by a massive magnitude-7.8 earthquake that left more than 7,000 people dead. 
 
 At least 18 climbers on Everest who were hit by the massive avalanche were killed. 
 
 The avalanche destroyed much of the established route to the summit of Mount Everest and ropes, ladders and markers were all removed after quake stuck. 
 
 US-based International Mountain Guides and Nepalese outfit Seven Summits also expressed concern over safety, while market leader Himex cancelled their expedition. 
 
 "All our members ... are climbing down now. No more going up now, not until routes are clear and not until everything is in place for climbers," Himex's Tamding Sherpa said. 
 
 In spite of the fears, Mount Everest still remains open to climbers, a senior official at Nepal's tourism department said on Monday. 
 
 "The government will not officially announce the closure because we have given the permit to climbers," Nepal's tourism department's Tulsi Prasad Gautam said. 
 
 "The route is still damaged and the climbers at base camp don't think the route will be fixed anytime soon. 
 
 "It's up to the climbers and the organisers who are at base camp to take a decision. We are not asking them to do one thing or another." 
 
 Climbers pay $11,000 each to climb Everest, and 357 were registered for this climbing season. 
 
 Last year, after 16 sherpas were killed in an avalanche, other sherpas refused to climb out of respect to their colleagues and caused an expedition boycott. But the mountain was not closed, and permits were extended. 
 
 ABC/wires 
 
 Topics: earthquake, disasters-and-accidents, avalanche, government-and-politics, emergency-incidents, travel-and-tourism, nepal, asia ||||| KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Sherpas in Nepal have refused to rebuild a climbing route on Mount Everest that was destroyed by an earthquake-triggered avalanche more than one week ago, a decision which will likely end this year's climbing season. 
 
 Nepalese women remove debris searching their belongings from their house that was destroyed a week ago during the earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal, Sunday, May 3, 2015. The true extent of the damage from... (Associated Press) 
 
 A Nepalese Buddhist couple light candles at the Boudhanath Stupa during Buddha Jayanti, or Buddha Purnima, festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, May 4, 2015. Hundreds of people have visited Buddhists... (Associated Press) 
 
 Gyanendra Shrestha, an official at Nepal's Mountaineering Department, said the Sherpas informed the office on Monday that they were not going to rebuild the route. 
 
 It would be the second consecutive year that the climbing season has been called off because of deaths on the world's highest peak. The climbing season was cancelled last year after an avalanche in April that killed 16 Sherpa guides. 
 
 Mountaineering teams have until the end of the month to climb the peak, but without the route fixed it is not be possible for them to make their climbs. The Sherpas play a crucial role by bringing the ladders, ropes and equipment needed to clear the trail. 
 
 Kapindra Rai of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, which controls the Icefall Doctors as the Sherpas are called, said there was not much time left in the season before it starts to get warmer and melting ice and monsoon rains bring bad weather. 
 
 "It is just not possible to rebuild the route in time for climbers to attempt to scale the peak," Rai said, although a formal decision has not been made yet. 
 
 The government has not formally cancelled the season and climbing permits are valid until the end of May. 
 
 Climbers and Sherpas attempting to reach the summit from the north face of the mountain in Tibet have already packed their gear and left after Chinese authorities closed all climbing for the spring season. 
 
 The Sherpas are paid daily wages, but will also lose the big bonuses they generally receive from the teams after successful climbs to the peak. 
 
 The April 25 earthquake has already killed more than 7,200 people in Nepal, flattened mountain villages and destroyed buildings and archaeological sites in Kathmandu. ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Everest base camp was destroyed by an avalanche during the recent earthquake 
 
 In what could prove a highly controversial move, the Nepalese government has sent a team of Sherpas to Mount Everest to fix the route through the treacherous icefall above Base Camp so that climbing can resume on the mountain as soon as possible. 
 
 An avalanche triggered by last weekend's earthquake - which killed 19 climbers at Base Camp - swept away fixed ropes and ladders placed in the icefall, making it impossible for climbing teams to reach Camp One. 
 
 "Our estimate is that in a couple of days, they could fix it," said Tulsi Gautam, director of Nepal's tourism department, who believes only a couple of ladders were destroyed. 
 
 "If we can fix the route in the first week of May, it will be fairly manageable [for climbers] to complete their expeditions in the third of fourth weeks [of May]," he said. 
 
 The government is expected to make a final decision on Monday. 
 
 The window for reaching the summit of Everest closes at the end of May because of the start of the monsoon, and some climbers are already waiting at Base Camp in the hope of the route re-opening soon. 
 
 Image caption Suhail Sharma estimates most climbers stand to lose $70,000 if Mount Everest remains closed 
 
 The lure of the summit of the world's highest mountain is intense for any climber, but it also requires a big financial commitment, which is now in jeopardy for those involved in this season's expeditions. 
 
 "Yes, it is a question of money for a lot of climbers," says Suhail Sharma, who is part of an Indian team. 
 
 He had travelled all the way back down to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, to find out what the government was doing, to ensure he and his team could complete what he described as a "spiritual journey" on Everest. 
 
 He estimated that most climbers would lose $70,000 (£46,200) or more if the mountain remained closed. 
 
 But others have decided to abandon their expeditions because of the disaster at Base Camp and also what has unfolded across the country since 25 April. 
 
 The earthquake is now known to have killed more than 7,000 people and injured more than 10,000. 
 
 Besides the damage in Kathmandu, entire villages have been destroyed in remote, mountainous areas to the west and the north, where many people are yet to receive any help. 
 
 Five Sherpas working for Guy Cotter, who was leading a commercial expedition on Everest, died in the avalanche which hit Base Camp and Mr Cotter has now called off his expedition. 
 
 "I know some teams who haven't had any direct impact [from the avalanche] probably feel that they'd like to carry on with climbing the mountain," he said. 
 
 "But with the scale of the calamity not only here, but right across Nepal, it just doesn't seem like the appropriate thing to do for me and my team." 
 
 Another climber, Adrian Hayes, a former British army officer, contacted the BBC to say he had abandoned an expedition, so he could use his skills to take part in the relief effort for earthquake victims. 
 
 He is a trained paramedic and plans to head into the remote regions where it is still proving difficult to reach those in need. 
 
 But despite the crisis, the government does seem in favour of re-opening the route up Everest, if it is safe to do so. 
 
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 It says it is under pressure from those climbers who are not prepared to abandon their attempt to reach the summit. 
 
 But financial concerns may also be a factor in the government's thinking. 
 
 Tourism is Nepal's only industry, and climbing and trekking are vital parts of it. 
 
 The quicker the situation can be normalised following the earthquake, the more the impact on the tourism industry can be minimised. 
 
 And Everest is one of the great draws for both mountaineers and trekkers. 
 
 This is also the second year in a row there has been a disaster on Everest; last year, an avalanche killed 16 Sherpas and all climbing was cancelled. 
 
 This time, the Sherpas say they are prepared to return to the mountain. 
 
 "It's up to the wishes of the clients," said Ang Tsering Sherpa, head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. 
 
 "The Sherpas are willing to do as per the clients' wishes." 
 
 Deaths in worst-affected areas (1 May) ||||| KATHMANDU Mount Everest remains open to climbers, a senior official at Nepal's tourism department said on Monday, despite avalanches after last month's devastating earthquake destroyed much of the established route to the summit of the world's highest peak. 
 
 Nepal's worst earthquake in decades has killed more than 7,200 people, including at least 18 climbers on Everest who were hit by a massive avalanche that wiped out part of the base camp. 
 
 But Nepal, which makes millions of dollars from climbers, has hesitated over whether or not to officially close the mountain, and on Monday was still leaving the decision to individual climbers on whether to press ahead. 
 
 Climbers pay $11,000 each to climb Everest, and 357 were registered for this climbing season. 
 
 "The government will not officially announce the closure because we have given the permit to climbers," Tulsi Prasad Gautam of Nepal's tourism department told Reuters. 
 
 "The route is still damaged and the climbers at base camp don't think the route will be fixed anytime soon. It's up to the climbers and the organisers who are at base camp to take a decision: we are not asking them to do one thing or another." 
 
 Gautam, who last Thursday said a team would be able to repair the route through the treacherous Khumbu icefalls within a week, said on Monday that small tremors were still being felt on Everest. 
 
 Some members of the climbing community said they suspected the Nepali government was trying to get out of refunding climbers for their permit fees by not closing the mountain. 
 
 "They are waiting for climbers to slowly, slowly reach their own conclusion that it is pointless to climb," said Alex Gavan, a Romanian climber who was ascending Lhotse, which shares part of the Everest route. 
 
 "They don't want to take responsibility for the decision," he said. 
 
 The team known as the Icefall Doctors, which sets the route through the Khumbu icefalls each year, said it was too dangerous to rebuild this season. 
 
 "It is not possible to open the route this year," said Ang Dorjee Sherpa of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, the body that operates the team. 
 
 "The icefall itself is not stable, and the route that was previously opened has been completely damaged," he said. 
 
 Last year, after 16 sherpas were killed in an avalanche, other sherpas refused to climb out of respect for their colleagues and caused an expedition boycott. But the mountain was not closed and permits continued to be extended. 
 
 (Reporting by Gopal Sharma and Clara Ferreira Marques; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Gareth Jones)
– Just a week or so after Nepal's deadly avalanche and earthquake that killed at least 7,250 people, a debate is growing between those who want the mountain to remain open for climbers and those who think it's not worth the risk. A Nepal government spokesman, cognizant of the money the country would lose from tourism if it closed the mountain (climbers pay $11,000 each), tells Reuters that "the government will not officially announce the closure because we have given the permit to climbers"—apparently succumbing to pressure from high-paying clients, notes the BBC. And while permits would be useless without the proper guides, the head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association told the BBC yesterday that "the Sherpas are willing to do as per the clients' wishes." But today, the AP reports that Sherpas are refusing to rebuild the main climbing route up Everest. The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee says that the looming summer season will mean melting snow and heavy rains. "It is just not possible to rebuild the route in time for climbers to attempt to scale the peak," a rep tells the AP. Meanwhile, a local tour company tells ABC.net.au that "with ongoing aftershocks and tremors, we can't continue expeditions. And there is nothing in place for climbers anyway … so there is no point in continuing this season." (Some good news from Nepal: Searchers found a 101-year-old man Saturday in Kathmandu).