Mount Everest sees record single-day summit as 274 climbers reach peak, including three Indians

A record 274 climbers scaled Mount Everest on Wednesday, setting the highest number ever to reach the world’s tallest peak in a single day from the Nepali side. The 29,032-foot Everest straddles the border between Nepal and the Tibet region of China and can be accessed from both sides.

The Tibetan side saw few climbers, as Chinese authorities had not issued permits this season. The previous highest number of ascents from the Nepali side was 223 on May 22, 2019. The very next day, another record was set for the most people to reach the Everest summit from both sides combined—254 climbers on May 23, 2019, according to Guinness World Records.

“This is the highest number of climbers in a single day so far,” Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association, told Reuters. He added that the number could rise further, as some climbers who reached the summit may not have yet reported their achievement to base camp.

Overcrowding Risks

Department of Tourism official Himal Gautam said he had received preliminary information that more than 250 people climbed the peak on Wednesday. He added that Nepal had issued 494 permits to climb Everest this year, each costing $15,000.

Mountaineering experts often criticize Nepal for allowing large numbers of climbers on the mountain, warning that it can lead to dangerous congestion and long queues in the “death zone” below the summit, where oxygen levels are too low to sustain human life.

Nepal has introduced tighter controls and higher fees in recent years after acknowledging risks from overcrowding and inexperienced climbers. Expedition organizer Lukas Furtenbach told Reuters that large numbers on Everest are not necessarily a problem if expeditions are well-equipped and properly managed.

“All our teams are behind the big crowd, so we were not affected,” said Furtenbach, who currently has 40 climbers waiting at different camps to move up.

“If teams carry enough oxygen, it is not a big problem,” he added from base camp. “We have mountains in the Alps like the Zugspitze, where up to 4,000 people reach the top per day. So 274 is actually not a big number, considering this mountain is ten times higher.”

Among the 274 climbers who successfully summited Everest from the Nepali side, three were Indians: Tulasi Palpunoori, Sandeep Are, and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal.

Beyond the record number of ascents, Nepal’s Kami Rita Sherpa set a new milestone by reaching the summit for the 32nd time. Similarly, Lhakpa Sherpa became the first woman to climb Mount Everest 11 times in a single season.

(With Inputs from Reuters)