Nepali climbers begin Everest season with first summit

A team of Nepali climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest on Wednesday, opening the route for hundreds of mountaineers expected to attempt the world’s highest peak in the coming weeks.

At least 12 members of a rope-fixing team made the ascent, marking the traditional start of the spring climbing window, expedition organisers said.

“The rope-fixing team reached the summit this morning,” Chhang Dawa Sherpa of Seven Summits Treks told AFP from the base camp.

“Climbers are already moving ahead,” he added.

A second team, coordinated by Mingma G Sherpa of Imagine Nepal, assisted in preparing the route.

“Climbers are waiting to summit, so it was important to open the route on time,” he said.

The work had been briefly disrupted by a serac — a block of glacial ice — above the already treacherous Khumbu icefall, raising fears of delays early in the season.

However, teams established an alternative route to the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) peak.

Nepal has issued a record 492 Everest permits this season, with a city of tents set up at the foot of Everest for climbers and support staff.

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

The high numbers have rekindled concerns about overcrowding on the mountain, especially if poor weather shortens the climbing window.

In 2019, congestion near the summit forced climbers to queue for hours in freezing conditions, with several deaths later blamed on overcrowding.

China has closed the northern approach from Tibet this season, pushing more expeditions onto Nepal’s side.

Chinese climbers account for the largest share of permits this year (109), followed by Americans (76).

Three Nepali climbers involved in Everest preparations have died so far this season, while two foreign climbers died on other Himalayan peaks.

Home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks, Nepal relies heavily on mountaineering tourism as a key source of revenue.