Images from the pre-pandemic era show a long line of climbers ascending toward the summit, looking like a real pilgrimage in pursuit of the world’s highest peak. Everest, once a symbol of extreme challenge, had started to feel more accessible, drawing a broader mix of adventurers, guides, and hikers who wanted a piece of the legendary climb.
Now, a few years on, the surge in mountaineers has dimmed somewhat, yet the risk of overcrowding on Everest has resurfaced. Each new season brings fresh climbers and fresh schedules, and this year there are more climbing permits issued than ever before. The surge follows the same pattern: a widespread interest that continues even as seasons shift and conditions vary.
Heavy snowfall this past winter adds another layer of hazard, pushing avalanche risk higher. The guidelines emphasized by agencies like Agence France-Presse note that new snowfall tends to stay soft, which complicates ascents and routes on the upper slopes.
Nepal has issued a record number of climbing permissions: at least 454 permits were granted to attempt Everest this season, drawing climbers from 61 countries and contributing to 41 organized expeditions. The practical effect is an influx that reshapes the economic and logistical landscape around Everest, with substantial revenue flowing into the Nepalese government during this period.
The permit-driven growth is tied to the broader business of guiding services and expeditions. While a portion of the climbers are foreign nationals, many Nepalese workers participate in the expeditions, underscoring the local dimension of what is often seen as a global ascent. This dynamic helps explain why the season can feel crowded even when the number of overall visitors appears to rise and fall with global travel patterns.
Officials described the trend as a peak in permitted climbs that underscores a significant financial windfall for Nepal, with about five million dollars entering government coffers through expedition activity in just this period. The figure, reported by local authorities on April 24, reflects the scale of international interest and the economic ripple effects that accompany mass mountaineering on the planet’s highest summit.
Record numbers of climbers
Bigyan Koirala from the tourism department noted to AFP that this season marks the highest number of permits ever issued for Everest. He suggested that the final tally could be higher than the initial estimates, highlighting the ongoing evolution of permit figures as logistics and weather windows are evaluated.
Most climbers will be accompanied by guides; permits are largely issued to foreign nationals, since Nepali workers do not require them. This means more than 900 climbers could attempt the summit in the coming weeks, with activity concentrated on the Nepalese side of the route.
This crowd of climbers can become a bottleneck when weather windows shorten, making the Everest ascent feel more like a traffic jam than a solitary challenge. The pace and density of climbers depend heavily on the brief conditions that allow a safe ascent.
Data from this season shows that the highest permits were issued to climbers from China, followed by the United States. In past years, overcrowding concerns have led to questions about safety standards and the management of large groups on fragile routes. In 2019, a notable queue forced teams to wait in freezing temperatures for hours, and at least four of the eleven deaths that year were linked to overcrowding on the mountain.
China restricts access to Everest
Comments from Ang Tshering Sherpa, a former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, indicate that the current season’s high permit numbers partly reflect travelers who were unable to go during earlier years due to travel restrictions from the pandemic. The new policy on the Chinese side requires climbers to have previously summited at least one eight-thousand-meter peak to obtain a permit, a change that shifts some pressure onto the Nepal side and expands expedition activity there.
A guide noted that the latest snowfall has raised avalanche risk on high-altitude routes because fresh snow remains soft for longer periods. This weather nuance adds a layer of caution for teams planning summit bids in the immediate weeks ahead.
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Notes about environmental oversight and safety measures continue to shape how climbing programs are structured. The season’s experience highlights the balancing act between opportunity, safety, and the livelihood of local communities that rely on mountaineering as a core economic activity.