A team of 14 Nepali climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest on Wednesday, officially opening the route for hundreds of mountaineers planning summit attempts over the next two weeks.

According to Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Seven Summit Treks, the rope-fixing team successfully completed the ascent despite multiple early-season challenges. The team reached the summit at 10:25 am, completing the 2026 rope-fixing mission from Base Camp to the top of the world.

“Now, climbers will mount their bid and a few groups have already moved ahead,” he said.

“This season presented unique challenges from the very beginning. The significant delay caused by the Khumbu Icefall put immense pressure on the entire fixing operation and load-ferrying work for the ground crew. Through calm coordination and strong collaboration among all operators, we worked together to overcome the difficulties and accomplish the mission,” said Mingma Sherpa.

According to Gyanendra Shrestha, a government official stationed at Everest Base Camp, a favourable weather window has been forecast from May 17 and is expected to last for around five days.

Rope-fixing work on Everest is usually completed before May 10. This year, however, the operation was briefly disrupted by an enormous unstable serac — massive blocks of glacial ice — hanging above the already dangerous Khumbu Icefall, raising fears of major delays early in the season.

The Icefall Doctors, a specialised team responsible for fixing ladders and ropes through the Khumbu Icefall, later established an alternative route, allowing hundreds of climbers to continue their expeditions. Climbers attempting Everest typically spend anywhere between $45,000 and $100,000 for a summit bid.

Shrestha said close coordination among expedition operators would now be critical, as the expected weather window remains short.

“If properly managed, climbing can be completed within May 29, the traditional closing deadline of Everest,” he said.

With the onset of the monsoon usually beginning in June, climbing conditions rapidly deteriorate as melting ice causes water to flow through Camp II and the Khumbu Icefall, making the mountain increasingly risky.

Hundreds of tents have been set up at Everest Base Camp for climbers and support staff, highlighting Everest’s importance as one of Nepal’s highest-value tourism sectors.

From hotels and restaurants in Kathmandu to airlines, helicopters and mountaineering equipment suppliers, Everest expeditions generate significant economic activity across the country.

Nepal has issued a record 492 Everest climbing permits this spring season. With one guide required for each climber, more than 1,000 people are expected to attempt the mountain this season.

The government has also earned a record Rs1.07 billion in royalty revenue from Everest alone.

The surge in revenue follows Nepal’s decision to hike Everest royalty fees for foreign climbers using the standard South Col route to $15,000 from $11,000, effective from September 1, 2025 — a 36 percent increase. For Nepali climbers, the spring permit fee doubled from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000.

The previous highest number of Everest permits was issued in spring 2023, when 478 climbers received permission to attempt the peak. The number dropped to 422 in 2024 before climbing to 468 in 2025.

Expedition operators say this year’s increase has largely been driven by China’s closure of Everest from the Tibetan side.

Mountaineering expert Ang Tshiring Sherpa recently warned that careful coordination would be essential to avoid dangerous overcrowding on the mountain.

“If the weather behaves well, managing around 200 climbers a day is possible,” he said. “Everything depends on the weather.”

The large number of climbers this season has renewed concerns about congestion near the summit, particularly if bad weather shortens the climbing window.

The 2019 Everest season became a global symbol of overcrowding after climber Nirmal 'Nims' Purja photographed a long queue of mountaineers near the Hillary Step, where hundreds were trapped in a bottleneck on the narrow ridge leading to the summit.

The congestion was blamed on a brief weather window on May 22 and 23 that forced hundreds of climbers to attempt the summit simultaneously. At least three climbers died during the rush.

According to Guinness World Records, the highest number of people to summit Everest in a single day was 354 on May 23, 2019, from both the Nepal and Tibet sides.

From Nepal alone, 223 climbers reached the summit on May 22 that year, followed by 212 on May 23, according to the Department of Tourism.

Following criticism over overcrowding and pollution, Nepal’s Supreme Court in 2024 directed the government to regulate expedition numbers on Everest.

So far this season, three Nepali climbers involved in Everest preparations have died, while two foreign climbers have died on Mount Makalu.