KATHMANDU, Nepal: Ten Nepali climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest late on Friday from its southern approach, paving the way for hundreds of climbers to reach the summit.
The first peak of Everest is organized every year by a team of one of the Nepalese expedition organizing companies who prepare the trip for paying clients.
“The rope fixing team reached the summit tonight,” Chhang Dawa Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, who led the team, told media.
A statement issued by the Nepal Tourism Department’s field office at Everest Base Camp said the team reached the summit at 8:15 pm (1430 GMT).
“More teams are already moving… many of them are in Camp 2 to capture the first window,” said Khim Lal Gautam, head of the base camp field office.
“Good weather has been forecast until the 14th of May, it’s possible we’ll see over a hundred peaks by then.”
Nepal has issued 414 permits to climbers for this year’s spring climbing season, which runs from April to early June.
Most Everest aspirants are each accompanied by a Nepali guide, meaning that more than 800 climbers will take the same route to the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit in the coming weeks.
China reopened the Tibet route to foreigners this year for the first time since it was closed in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The North Summit route opened on Monday, according to social media posts by expedition organizers.
Home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks, Nepal welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring, when temperatures are warm and winds are usually calm.
Last year, over 600 climbers reached the top of the highest mountain in the world.
It was also the worst season on the mountains when 18 people lost their lives.
Since the first ascent in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgi, the boom in climbers has turned mountaineering into a lucrative business.
