Everest Climbers Face Dangerous Icefall Threat During Busy 2026 Season

Hundreds of climbers are continuing preparations for summit attempts on Mount Everest despite growing concerns over a dangerously unstable serac hanging above the mountain’s most hazardous section.

Around 464 climbers, along with a similar number of Nepali guides, are currently based at Everest Base Camp ahead of the main summit window later this month.

However, progress on the mountain was delayed for more than two weeks after a massive ice block threatened the route through the Khumbu Icefall.

The specialist “icefall doctors” responsible for establishing the climbing route eventually opened the path on April 29, but warned that the danger remains significant.

“The serac has multiple cracks and may collapse at any time,” the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) warned. “SPCC strongly urges all expedition operators and climbers to exercise extreme caution.”

The Khumbu Icefall is considered one of the most dangerous sections of the Everest climb, filled with shifting glaciers, deep crevasses and unstable towers of ice that can collapse without warning.

The threat is taken especially seriously following the 2014 Khumbu Icefall disaster, when a collapsing serac triggered an avalanche that killed 16 Nepali guides and workers.

Expedition operators say this year’s route is particularly concerning.

Renowned mountain guide Lukas Furtenbach, whose expedition includes 40 international climbers and more than 90 Sherpas, admitted the situation is causing anxiety at Base Camp.

“Anyone who says they’re not concerned is either inexperienced or not paying attention,” Furtenbach said.

“The serac is a real, objective hazard.”

He added that sections of the route are both more exposed and more unstable than last season.

“The Icefall is constantly changing, but right now it’s not just more broken — it’s also forced into a line that passes under unstable features,” he explained.

Teams are now attempting to reduce the risks by carrying lighter loads, limiting time spent in the Icefall and carefully timing movements during the coldest hours of the morning, when frozen ice is considered more stable.

“If you go in the morning, it might be safer because the ice is frozen, but in the afternoon it becomes dangerous as weather gets warmer,” said Ang Tshering Sherpa of Asian Trekking.

Concerns over the stability of Everest’s glaciers have increased in recent years, with climate change and rising temperatures believed to be accelerating the melting and movement of ice throughout the Himalayas.

Despite the risks, high travel costs and increased permit fees, Everest remains heavily crowded this season. Operators report fewer climbers from Europe and the United States, but a noticeable increase in climbers arriving from across Asia.