2026 Mount Everest South Slope Spring Climbing Season
Source: Baidu Baike (comprehensive, based on China News Service, Xinhua News Agency, Yangtze Evening News, etc.)Original Link:Baidu Baike
Table of Contents
The 2026 Mount Everest South Slope Spring Climbing Season refers to the climbing activities held on the south slope of Mount Everest in 2026.
This season, Nepal issued 492 Mount Everest south slope climbing permits, setting a historical record. Because the north slope of Everest has been closed to international commercial teams since 2025, approximately 110 international climbers who originally planned to climb the north slope shifted to the south slope. In the early stage of the climbing season, the climbing route was delayed in opening due to a approximately 30-meter-high ice tower on the Khumbu Glacier blocking the way, causing a large number of climbers to be stranded at base camp. On May 3, Sherpa guide Lhaba Tengdi Sherpa died at an altitude of 6,400 meters during acclimatization; on May 5, an ice tower collapse on the Khumbu Glacier triggered an avalanche, causing serious injuries to one Indian climber and one Nepali guide. The period from May 15 to 25 is the "golden summit window" with the most stable climate; over 92% of summit attempts were concentrated within these 10 days. The increase in the number of climbers has led to garbage accumulation in high-altitude areas; in the early stage of this season, more than 4.2 tons of garbage have been cleaned up. Global warming combined with human activity disturbances has caused the melting speed of the Khumbu Glacier to accelerate, and ice stability to decline.
Activity Background
In 2026, the laying of the south slope climbing route on Everest was once hindered by another large ice tower. A approximately 30-meter-high ice tower on the Khumbu Glacier blocked the route from base camp to Camp 1, causing the work of the "Glacier Doctors" in laying ropes and setting up ladders and bridges to be significantly delayed compared to previous years, and a large number of climbers were once stranded at base camp. Although this route was adventureously opened, industry insiders are concerned that the early delay will likely compress the May summit window and increase congestion and safety risks on high-altitude route sections.
The Everest spring climbing season is usually from mid-April to early June each year, among which May has the most stable weather conditions and is the most popular climbing period. Every May, due to the large number of climbers, traffic jams and queuing even appear on the climbing routes, bringing challenges to the local environment and personnel safety.
Activity Timeline
May 13, 2026
The Everest route-fixing team successfully reached the summit and laid the route ropes all the way to the peak.
May 14, 2026
Shi Junji, a climber from Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, China, successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest, becoming the fourth Chinese climber to reach the summit of Everest in the 2026 Nepal climbing season, and also the first person from the Gannan region to reach the summit of Everest.
May 17, 2026
Nepali climbing guide Kami Rita Sherpa, wearing his gear, successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest from the south slope. This was his 32nd summit, once again breaking the world record for the number of summits that he himself holds.
May 20, 2026
274 climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, from the Nepal side, setting a record for the number of people reaching the summit from the south slope in a single day. Rishi Bandari, Secretary-General of the Nepal Expedition Operators Association, said that because some climbers had not yet reported their summit to the camp after reaching the top, the actual number of summits on the 20th may be higher. Bandari explained that the previous single-day summit record from the south slope was 223 people, set on May 22, 2019.
On May 20, 2026, Rustam Nabiev, a 34-year-old Russian double-leg amputee climber, successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest relying only on his hands and ice axes, becoming the first person in history to reach the summit in this way. Nabiev was formerly a Russian paratrooper. In 2015, while sleeping in a military barracks, the barracks suddenly collapsed, causing his legs to be seriously injured, and he eventually had both legs amputated. After that, he did not become depressed, but chose to prove himself through extreme sports. He first climbed Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Russia, proving that double-amputees can also engage in mountaineering. In 2021, he became the first double-amputee without prosthetics to reach the summit of Mount Manaslu, the eighth-highest peak in the world.
May 21, 2026
More than 150 people successfully reached the summit. On May 22, the number of summits on the south slope of Mount Everest was about 42; among them, 52-year-old British mountaineer Kenton Cool successfully reached the summit just before dawn on that day, marking his 20th summit of Everest, breaking the record for the number of non-Sherpa summits.
As of May 22, 2026
Including the Sherpas assisting climbers, the total number of summits has exceeded 500 person-times. The next wave of summit windows for Western teams may be around May 24 to 26, and the number of summits is expected to continue to increase.
Activity Events
As of May 5, 2026, 1 death and 2 injuries had been reported.
May 3, 2026
Sherpa guide Lhaba Tengdi Sherpa unfortunately died at an altitude of 6,400 meters during acclimatization, marking the first death case of this season on the south slope of Everest.
May 5, 2026 (early morning)
Apartial collapse of a hanging ice tower on the climbing route along the Khumbu Glacier area on the south slope of Everest triggered a small-scale avalanche, causing serious injuries to one Indian climber and one Nepali guide. Both injured persons have been airlifted to the Nepali capital Kathmandu for treatment.
As of May 23, 2026
At least 5 death incidents have been confirmed, some related to congestion. Among them: on May 3, a 52-year-old Sherpa guide suddenly lost consciousness and died on the way; on May 10, a 35-year-old Nepali climber died during acclimatization climbing; on May 12, a 21-year-old Sherpa guide slipped and fell into an ice crevasse and died; on May 21, two Indian climbers successfully reached the summit but died from illness during the descent—this was the first client death report of this season.
Safety and Environmental Challenges
The risk of congestion on high-altitude route sections has risen to the peak since 2019. Combined with factors such as route opening delays and shortened weather window periods this year, safety hazards have emerged ahead of schedule. The period from May 15 to 25 is the golden summit window with the most stable climate, the least wind, and the lowest probability of snowfall; over 92% of summit attempts are concentrated within these 10 days, and the concentration of people flow intensifies risks. In the early stage of this year's climbing season, safety incidents occurred one after another: on May 3, Sherpa guide Lhaba Tengdi Sherpa unfortunately died at an altitude of 6,400 meters during acclimatization, marking the first death case of this season on the south slope of Everest; on May 5, a partial collapse of a hanging ice tower on the Khumbu Glacier triggered a small-scale avalanche, causing serious injuries to one Indian climber and one Nepali guide.
The increase in the number of climbers has led to continuous accumulation of abandoned oxygen cylinders, plastic waste, food residues, and human excrement in high-altitude areas. According to the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee's spring 2026 monitoring report, more than 4.2 tons of garbage have been cleaned up in the early stage of this season, but a large amount of garbage still remains in areas above 6,500 meters that are difficult to access, threatening the water quality of glacier meltwater. At the same time, global warming combined with human activity disturbances has caused the melting speed of the Khumbu Glacier to accelerate, ice cracks to increase, and stability to decline, which not only increases climbing risks but also raises the probability of mountain disasters such as glacier lake outburst floods and debris flows.
Conclusion
The 2026 Mount Everest south slope climbing season will be remembered as one of the most historic—and tragic—seasons on the world's highest peak. A record 492 permits were issued, more than 500 climbers reached the summit, and extraordinary human achievements were made. Yet behind the triumphs lay sobering realities: at least five lives lost, severe congestion on the mountain, and mounting environmental damage that can no longer be ignored. As climate change accelerates the melting of the Khumbu Glacier and human activity continues to leave its mark, the future of Everest hangs in the balance. This season was not only a test of human endurance, but also a wake-up call for how we protect the roof of the world.
