Crowds Flock to Everest as Nepal Welcomes the Year 2082
As Nepal rings in the new year—2082 in its local calendar—Everest is once again drawing massive crowds. Lukla airport is buzzing with activity as trekkers and climbers head toward the Khumbu Valley, kicking off what could become the busiest season yet on the world’s highest peak.
This year’s Everest season feels like déjà vu: larger teams, fewer independent climbers, and familiar faces aiming for records. Preliminary reports suggest a potential all-time high in visitors. Asian Trekking revealed the Indian Army has sent three groups, including one with 40 members. Lakpa Sherpa of 8K Expeditions confirmed over 50 clients, while Seven Summit Treks has more than 100 confirmed climbers, according to Alpymon.
The standing record of 478 foreign climbers with permits in 2023 might be broken, with outfitters expecting around 500 this season. The summit record—800 ascents in 2018—may also be at risk. Note that Nepalese guides, who don’t require permits, are included in summit counts.
Currently, 500 climbers are already at Base Camp, with hundreds more on the way. Many are trekking in gradually or acclimatizing on 6,000-meter peaks like Mera and Ama Dablam, where fixed ropes were recently installed.
A few climbers skip the trek entirely, flying straight to Base Camp thanks to pre-acclimatization or past Himalayan climbs. Some of the 40 recent Annapurna summiters plan to attempt Everest next.
The Icefall Doctors, aided for the first time by drones, have completed the route to Camp 1 (6,000m). Expedition Sherpas are now preparing Camp 2 (6,400m) in the Western Cwm for initial client rotations. Meanwhile, 8K Expeditions, in charge of rope-fixing this year, is staging gear at Camp 2 for work higher up.
“The weather is currently poor, so we may need more time before reaching the Lhotse Face,” said 8K’s Pemba Sherpa.
Innovation and Speed Attempts
This season brings a twist: a group from Furtenbach Adventures plans to fly directly from the UK to Everest Base Camp in May. Members—including Alastair Carns, Anthony Stazicker, Garth Miller, and Kevin Godlington—have been using Xenon gas to stimulate EPO production. They aim to summit immediately, completing the round trip in just one week.
British climbers Tim Howell and Jon Gupta also just arrived in Kathmandu. Howell will again attempt a wingsuit flight from high on the Lhotse ridge, guided by Gupta and supported by Sherpas.
In contrast to the crowded, guided expeditions, very few climbers will go unsupported. Among them are Valery Babanov, a two-time Piolet d’Or winner attempting Everest without supplemental oxygen, and Marcin Miotk, aiming for Lhotse in the same style.
Babanov, 59, has climbed five 8,000-meter peaks—two via new routes—and hopes to become the oldest person to summit Everest without oxygen. He previously summited K2 (with oxygen) last summer.
Miotk, the first Polish climber to summit Everest solo and without oxygen in 2005, was hesitant due to the crowding but ultimately chose to return: “I always dreamed of admiring Everest from the Nepalese side, crossing the famous Icefall at least once more, and seeing the vastness of the Western Cwm.” He’s expected at Base Camp this week.
Ultra-Endurance and Record Bids
Mitch Hutch is also approaching Base Camp after running, cycling, and swimming 12,000km over 210 days from the UK. He reached Lobuche today and plans to climb Everest with star guide Gelje Sherpa of AGA Adventures.
Meanwhile, Dawa Finjhok Sherpa, who summited Everest three times in one week last year, now aims to summit Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu within 24 hours—a logistical feat given the expected traffic in the Icefall and on the mountains.
Lastly, Everest legend Kami Rita Sherpa, 55, is set for his 31st Everest summit next month. A lead guide with Seven Summit Treks and a veteran since 1994, Kami Rita continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible on the mountain.
