Everest spring climbing season sets new record with 1,008 successful summits

Nepal's Department of Tourism announced a record-breaking spring climbing season on Mount Everest for 2026, with 1,008 climbers successfully reaching the summit. This figure marks the highest number of ascents ever recorded on the world's tallest mountain since expeditions began.

Ram Krishna Lamichhane, director general of the Department of Tourism, highlighted that the season established multiple new records. These include the number of successful climbers, the quantity of permits issued, and the royalty revenues collected from Everest expeditions. Khim Lal Gautam, coordinator of the temporary field office at Everest Base Camp, confirmed the total number of successful ascents reached 1,008 as of Friday morning.

Officials attributed the high number of summits to favorable weather windows and robust participation from international expedition teams. Data from the Department of Tourism indicates that the government collected approximately Rs1.08 billion in royalty fees from Everest expeditions during this season. The previous record for successful ascents in a single season stood at around 900 climbers.

Nepal observes Everest Day annually on May 29 to commemorate the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953.

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As many as 1,008 climbers successfully summited Everest under this year’s spring mountaineering season.