Mount Everest was expected to have an early end of the spring climbing season with hundreds of climbers making it to the top of the world's highest peak in the first week of the summit push, officials said. 

More than two-thirds of climbers have successfully climbed the peak since the ropes were laid on May 7, according to Khimlal Gautam, a government official overseeing the expeditions from Basecamp. 

"We expect an early end to the spring season as more than half expedition groups have already climbed the peak taking advantage of a good weather window," Gautam told Everest Chronicle from Everest Base Camp. 

Government officials and climbing guides said that Mount Everest was expected to see friendly weather for the third straight week, something not seen for many years.

“Usually, we finish our Everest climbing season at the end of May. But many of us were able to finish our climb much earlier this year because of the good weather window,” said Gobinda Gurung, managing director of TAG Nepal, “Everest hasn’t seen weather like this for many years.” 

Climbers had started to move to the high camps shortly after a team of experienced climbers led by record holder climbing guide Kami Rita Sherpa opened the route to the summit on May 7.

“Perhaps, the perfect weather window for a week was the longest in Everest climbing history,” said Gautam, “This made it easier to manage the expeditions.” 

Usually, climbers get  a short weather window during the spring season—-maximum of two or three days in the month of May. Because of this, climbers often rush to the summit causing  traffic jams—a term used to describe  overcrowding of climbers in the death zone, or area above 8,000 meters, due to the short window coupled with the high number of climbers. 

"Besides good weather, rope fixing completed early, which allowed early summit push," said Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, owner of 14 Peaks Expedition

Eeverest recorded the first summit on May 9. Portuguese climber Padro Queiros reached the summit two days after Sherpas fixed the rope to the summit. Around 150 climbers summited Everest on May 12. There have been successful summits ever since. 

In 2019, Everest witnessed a massive traffic jam at the death zone as everyone wanted to summit within a limited weather window on May 21. Several deaths were linked to the traffic jams. That year, Nepal had issued only 385 climbing permits.

That wasn’t the case this year. Expedition leaders and government officials say climbers are all happy to make their summit wish a success too without traffic jams or other hassles. They are celebrating summit success at the base camp by dancing and drinking, according to expedition agencies. 

Some climbers have already reached their home countries, while many others are returning from the base camp.

“I’m now back in Kathmandu after a successful Everest summit. I hope to get a flight back home tomorrow so I can celebrate the Norwegian Independence Day, May 17,”  Erlend Ness, a Norwegian climber, told Everest Chronicle.  Ness was forced to abandon Everest bid last year after he contracted Covid19 at the base camp. 

Expedition agencies said that the good weather has allowed every single climber enough time for summit push.  There have not been very nominal casualties and hardly any rescue flight during descent. Climbing success rate is one of the highest in history. 

“We just had 100% success with our Everest Flash expedition in only 16 days for the whole 17 person team. That is a massive record. By far, the shortest Everest expedition ever,” said Lukas Lukas Furtenbach, managing director of Furtenbach Expeditions, a Austria based expedition agency. 

Last year, Furtenbach Expeditions and several other agencies were forced to abort their expedition after Covid19 outbreak in the base camp. The pandemic and impact of a cyclone meant that most climbers had to wait until May end for summit push. 

So far, three casualties have been reported on Everest.

Pavel Kostrikin,55,  a Russian climber, died while he was trekking between Camp I and Camp II during  regular acclimatization. Another climbing guide Nima Tenji Sherpa of Solukhumbu breathed his last near the Khumbu icefall while shuttling loads to higher camp.  

Dipak Mahat, a climbing guide from Gulmi district, died during treatment in Kathmandu after he had to be evacuated from camp II due to  high altitude sickness. 

A total of 317 climbers have obtained permits to climb Everest in the ongoing spring season, according to the Department of Tourism. The peak continues to remain closed for foreign commercial expeditions from the Tibet side.