Kathmandu, May 22
A record-breaking 274 mountaineers successfully summited Everest in a single day on Wednesday. According to a mountaineering official, this is the highest number of climbers ever to reach the world’s tallest peak from the Nepal side in a single day.
Everest, standing at 8,849 metres, lies on the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region and can be climbed from either side. According to expedition operators, no climbers went from the Tibet side this year as Chinese authorities did not issue any permits.
Rishhi Bhandari, Secretary General of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said on Thursday that the previous Nepal-side single-day record had been 223 climbers, set on May 22, 2019.
According to Guinness World Records, the record for summits from both sides in a single day was set the following day, May 23, 2019, when 354 people reached the top.
Speaking to Reuters, Bhandari said, referring to the Nepal-side record, that this was the largest number of climbers ever to summit in a single day. He added the figure could rise further, as some climbers who had already reached the top may not yet have reported their successful summit to base camp.
No data is available from China on how many climbers reach the summit from the Tibetan side when that route is open. But Bhandari said that during the typical April–May climbing season, around 100 people used to head toward Everest from that side.
Record comes alongside crowding concerns
Tourism Department official Himal Gautam said initial reports indicated more than 250 people had summited on Wednesday.
Gautam said, “We are in the process of having climbers return, submit photos and other evidence to verify their ascent, and then issue summit certificates. Only after that can we confirm the numbers.”
Nepal issued 494 permits for Everest this season, at a fee of $15,000 per permit.
Mountaineering experts have often criticised Nepal for allowing too many climbers on the mountain, which can sometimes lead to dangerous queues in the “death zone” just below the summit, where natural oxygen levels are far below what humans need to survive.
Nepal has acknowledged the risks from crowding and inexperienced climbers and has imposed stricter regulations and higher fees.
Lukas Furtenbach of Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures, an expedition organiser, said having large numbers of climbers on Everest is not a problem as long as expeditions are well managed.
“All our teams are behind the big crowd, so we were not affected,” Furtenbach said. He has 40 climbers currently waiting at various camps for their summit attempt.
Speaking from base camp, he added, “If teams have enough oxygen, it is not a big problem. In the Alps we have mountains like the Zugspitze where 4,000 people reach the summit daily. So, considering this mountain is ten times bigger, 274 is not really a large number.”
— With assistance from Reuters
