Everest set for crowded summit season

Rush to the top: Mountaineers form a queue as they approach the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, on May 18, 2025. A serac above the Khumbu Icefall disrupted preparations last month, raising fears of delays in the short summit window. — AP

The country has issued a record 492 permits to climb Mount Everest this spring, officials said.

“We have issued a historic high number of permits for Sagar­matha,” said Himal Gautam, spokesman for the tourism department, on Friday.

The last record was in 2023 when 478 permits were issued in a post-pandemic rush on the mountains.

As most of these mountaineers will attempt to summit Everest with the help of at least one Nepali guide, about a thousand climbers will be heading for the summit in the next few weeks.

A team of highly skilled mountaineers, known in Nepal as “icefall doctors”, began fixing ropes and ladders on Everest last month, to prepare for the spring climbing season.

But a serac – a block of glacial ice – above the already trea­cherous Khumbu icefall disrupted their work, sparking fears of delays in the limited summit season on the world’s highest peak.

Gautam said that the route has been opened up to the South Col mountain pass at 7,906m through an alternate road.

“Climbers are now making acclimatisation rotations as usual and we hope for a good season,” said Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, one of the biggest expedition organisers.

However, the high number of climbers raises fears of heavy traffic and bottlenecks en route to the summit if there is a shorter window to reach it because of unfavourable weather.

In 2019, a massive queue on Mount Everest forced teams to wait hours in freezing temperatures, lowering depleted oxygen levels that can lead to sickness and exhaustion.

At least four of 11 deaths that year were blamed on overcrow­ding.

China has closed the summit from the northern Tibet side this season, causing an extra flow of climbers in the south.

The highest number of climbers receiving permits this season were from China (109), followed by the United States (76).

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks and fo­reign climbers who flock to its mountains are a major source of revenue for the country.

The government has collected a total of US$7.1mil (RM27.8mil) from the Everest permits. — AFP