Everest summit route opened for Spring 2025 climbing season
A Nepali rope-fixing team secured lines to the summit of Mount Everest on Friday, officially opening the route for the 2025 spring climbing season.
Nepal officially opened the summit route on Mount Everest on Friday for the Spring 2025 season after a team of Sherpa climbers fixed ropes to the top of the world’s highest mountain, clearing the way for summit attempts to begin.
The ropes were secured to the 8,848.86-metre summit at 4:50 p.m. local time, according to Pemba Sherpa of Kathmandu-based expedition operator 8K Expeditions.
The rope-fixing team, coordinated by the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal (EOA), included seven high-altitude climbers from 8K Expeditions. The work was led by Ang Temba Sherpa, the team’s head guide, and included Tsering Pemba Sherpa, Ashok Lama, Pem Nurbu Sherpa, Tashi Sherpa (Chitra), Karma Gyaljen Sherpa, Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa, and Pas Tenzi Sherpa.
“This achievement enhances climber safety, reduces congestion, and provides greater flexibility for summit attempts,” said Lakpa Sherpa, founder of 8K Expeditions.
According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism, a total of 456 climbers from 57 countries have received permits to climb Everest this spring. That figure is up from 421 climbers last year and just two dozen short of Nepal’s all-time record. Officials attribute the surge in applications to an upcoming fee increase for Everest climbing permits—from USD 11,000 to USD 15,000 starting in September—and potential new regulations that may require prior ascent of a 7,000-metre peak to qualify.
The largest number of climbers come from India and the United States, with 83 from each country.
Mount Everest, which lies on the border between Nepal and China, draws hundreds of climbers each spring during a narrow weather window considered favourable for summit attempts.
