Nepali Rope-Fixing Team Opens Mount Everest Climbing Route for 2026 Spring Season

An 11-member Nepali rope-fixing team successfully completed summit operations on Mount Everest on Wednesday, officially opening the route for the 2026 spring climbing season , authorities said.

The team, led by Mingma Dorchi Sherpa, reached the 8,848.86-metre summit around 10:30 am local time after completing final rope-fixing operations , according to Nepal’s Department of Tourism. The climbers unfurled Nepal’s national flag after securing the summit route for expedition traffic.

Officials said the work follows weeks of delays caused by a large unstable serac in the Khumbu Icefall , which blocked access and stalled climbers at base camp. The obstruction, one of the most dangerous sections of the route, forced “Icefall Doctors” and Sherpa teams to adjust and reopen the pathway in phases before completing summit fixing.

With the route now established up to the South Col and summit, expedition teams have begun moving climbers toward higher camps for summit rotations expected during the mid-to-late May weather window , when conditions are most stable.

Authorities confirmed around 490 to 492 climbing permits have been issued this season, with hundreds of international climbers already at base camp and acclimatisation camps. Earlier delays raised concerns about crowding and compressed summit schedules.

Despite safety challenges, including recent seasonal fatalities in the Himalayas, interest in Everest remains strong, with Nepal relying heavily on expedition tourism revenue.

Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks, earns significant income from climbing permits, with Everest remaining its most lucrative mountaineering destination.