Hundreds scale Mount Everest in a weather-hit climbing season

Nepal’s government said on Tuesday it has a “duty to protect” the Himalayas from the risks presented by climate change and the growing numbers of climbers attempting to scale the region’s summits, especially Everest. Associated Press video shot by Pasang Rinjzee Sherpa, Jenjen Lama, Kunga Sherpa and Vinayak Jaya Malla

Hundreds of climbers and their Sherpa guides scaled Mount Everest this month in Nepal, struggling against harsh weather to make it to the summit of the world’s highest mountain before the climbing season finishes at the end of May.

Though several climbers did manage to reach the summit in mid-May, weather conditions deteriorated for days, forcing a retreat to base camp for many, including Kami Rita Sherpa, who was attempting to break his own record by scaling the peak for a 31st time.

He did manage to scale the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak on May 27, but several climbers were not so lucky.

Kami Rita Sherpa, third left, who holds the record for most ascents to Mount Everest, prays with other mountaineers at Everest Base Camp before beginning his ascent to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

The route to the summit is equipped with ladders and ropes but these are removed at the end of May, marking an end to the climbing season before the monsoon brings heavy rainfall and bad weather.

According to Nepal’s Department of Mountaineering, 468 foreign climbers from 57 countries were given permits to climb Everest by the end of May, along with a roughly equal number of Nepalese mountain guides.

Mount Everest, right, is seen from the Khumbu region which lies on the way to the summit, in Nepal, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

An aerial view shows Camp 1 on the way to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, Thursday, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

A climber rests early morning inside a tent at the Everest Base Camp in Nepal, Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

A member of the kitchen crew of an expedition to the summit of Mount Everest collects ice for drinking water at Camp 1, Nepal, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

A sherpa hands vodka, that was earlier offered to the Gods, to a climber after a ritual for a safe climb at Everest Base Camp before beginning his ascent to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

Because of the limited windows of good weather near the summit, large numbers of climbers lined up, attached to the single safety rope, which is known as the “Everest traffic jam.”

“Overall on Everest, weather is the key and it was not same as the forecast. And secondly, it was crowded because both professionals and beginners were there at the same time,” said Pasang Rinji Sherpa, a guide, adding that because of some of the novice climbers, movement was slow.

Mountaineers ascend to Camp 2 on their way to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, May 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

Pasang Rinji has already climbed the peak twice but was forced to retreat this time because he got sick on the mountain.

He said there were many cases of flu and the “Khumbu cough,” named after a region on Everest, that affects climbers at high altitudes. Some climbers and guides abandoned or postponed their ascent, he said.

A mountaineer is silhouetted against Mount Ama Dablam on his way to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

A mountain guide uses a radio at Camp 2 on the way to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)

He said that only selected or qualified climbers should be allowed to climb the peak to make the experience safer and easier.

“Right now there are beginners with no experience or knowledge and professional at the same time and this is causing the problem,” he said. “There should be basic knowledge for the climbers to use gear properly and be safe while climbing Everest.”