A record-breaking 274 climbers scaled Mount Everest from its southern ridge on Wednesday, marking the highest number of ascents from the Nepali side in a single day. The massive bottleneck highlights growing concerns over overcrowding during the mountain’s brief spring climbing window.
The previous single-day record for the south face was 223, set on May 22, 2019. While the overall global summit count was higher on that day in 2019 due to climbers ascending from Tibet, the northern route was entirely closed this year as China did not issue any climbing permits.
A lengthy delay earlier this month fueled the extreme congestion. High-altitude workers, known as "icefall doctors," spent weeks clearing a massive block of glacial ice, called a serac, that had completely blocked the route. The path wasn't opened until May 13, creating a massive backlog at Base Camp. With strong winds forecast for later in the week, hundreds of eager climbers rushed for the peak simultaneously as soon as the weather cleared.
Nepal issued nearly 500 climbing permits for the season, and officials acknowledged that the perfect weather combined with the shortened climbing window created the perfect storm for crowding.
"The high number is due to a favorable weather window and a large backlog of climbers who had been waiting for the route to open," said Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal.
The record-setting day has renewed intense scrutiny over safety and logistics on the world's highest peak. Overcrowding on the exposed, narrow ridges leading to the 8,848-meter (29,029-foot) summit forces climbers to spend extended periods in the "death zone," where the human body cannot adapt to the lack of oxygen and extreme altitudes.
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