Kathmandu, Sept. 27 -- Pasang Lama was waiting for a phone call.

Nepal's peak trekking season had just begun, but the Chinese guide, who works for Yeti Mountain Adventure, was at home, waiting for his company to send him an assignment.

"I am jobless again. Last year too, I failed to get a client. It's difficult to eke out a living," Lama said earlier this month. "If this trend continues, all guides will leave the profession and go for foreign jobs."

The August 26 disaster in Rasuwa came just as Nepal was entering its busiest tourism months. The disaster, involving a rock-ice avalanche and subsequent flooding in the upper Bhotekoshi watershed, sent images of destruction far beyond the affected area.

Then came cancellations.

It was ano...