Puerto Rican woman makes Everest history on busy summit day
Nicole Santiago becomes the first woman from Puerto Rico to reach Mount Everest as part of her Seven Summits quest, summiting on May 20 amid one of the season’s most crowded climbing windows.
PC: Abiral Rai
Puerto Rican climber Nicole Santiago has made history by becoming the first woman from Puerto Rico to summit Mount Everest as part of her Seven Summits project, her expedition guide said.
Santiago reached the 8,848.86-metre summit on May 20, 2026, under a 1:1 guided expedition led by Nepali guide Abiral Rai, who also successfully completed his third Everest summit this season.
"We successfully summited Mount Everest on May 20, 2026, with 1:1 guiding during the Everest Expedition 2026," Rai said in a statement shared after the climb.
According to Rai, Santiago became the first woman from Puerto Rico to stand atop the world’s highest peak, marking a milestone in her ongoing Seven Summits project.
Khimlal Gautam, coordinator at Nepal’s Department of Tourism field office at Everest base camp, confirmed the summit.
May 20 was one of the busiest days of the 2026 spring climbing season, with around 269 climbers reaching the summit from the Nepal side, officials said.
Rai said the team chose to avoid congestion on the standard route due to safety concerns during the heavy traffic window. The expedition team left the South Col at around 6:00 p.m. and reached the summit at approximately 2:15 a.m.
Although the summit was reached in darkness, the decision helped the team avoid bottlenecks and improve safety on the upper mountain, he said.
"This season was especially meaningful for me, as I completed my 3rd successful Everest summit," Rai added, thanking Climbing the Seven Summits and TAG Nepal for logistical and expedition support.
The 2026 Everest season has seen heavy traffic on the Nepal side, with hundreds of climbers attempting the peak during brief weather windows.
A record 494 climbing permit were issued for the world's highest peak this season, according to the department.
