More than 270 climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest from the Nepali side on Wednesday, setting a new single-day record for ascents from Nepal. Local officials said 274 people stood atop the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak on the border with Tibet, surpassing the previous Nepali-side record of 223 set on May 22, 2019.
The combined-record for both Nepal and China—354 climbers in a single day—was set on May 23, 2019. This year, Chinese authorities have not issued permits for climbs from the Tibetan side, so all attempts began in Nepal. Footage from the mountain showed long lines of climbers waiting close to the summit on the busy day.
“It was a historic day,” said Himal Gautam of Nepal’s Department of Tourism, who acknowledged the expected congestion. He said there was a queue stretching from the “balcony”—the final exposed section—up to the summit, and that the department has been working to manage the flow by improving coordination.
Nepal issued a record 494 Everest permits this season: 389 for men and 105 for women from 55 countries. Each permit costs $15,000 (about €12,950), generating more than $7.4 million in revenue for Nepal, one of the world’s poorest nations. That income is a major incentive for the government, but it has drawn criticism from mountaineering experts.
Critics say the large number of climbers contributes to dangerous congestion and long waits in the so-called “death zone,” where natural oxygen levels are too low to sustain human life for extended periods. Nepal has acknowledged those risks and said it hopes stricter controls and higher fees will deter inexperienced climbers. Nonetheless, three deaths have already been reported this season. The campaign was also delayed early on by a large ice block, or “serac,” that temporarily obstructed the Khumbu Icefall.
Everest has been a magnet for climbers since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the summit on May 29, 1953. Veteran guides continue to rack up repeat ascents: this season Kami Rita Sherpa made his 32nd summit, extending his own record, while Pasang Dawa Sherpa reached his 30th. Lakpa Sherpa recorded her 11th ascent, the most by any woman.
The Department of Tourism says it verifies climbs before issuing official certificates, requiring climbers to return with photos and other proof of their summit.
Some expedition organizers argue that crowding can be managed if teams are well equipped. Lukas Furtenbach of Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures said large numbers are not a problem provided expeditions carry sufficient oxygen and are properly organized. He compared Everest traffic to crowded popular peaks in the Alps, though experts note that Everest’s extreme altitude—requiring supplemental oxygen for most climbers—makes it fundamentally different from lower peaks such as Germany’s Zugspitze.
The record day highlights both the growing popularity of high-altitude tourism and the ongoing debate over safety, regulation and the environmental and social impacts of mass mountaineering on the world’s highest peak.