I summited Everest on May 21, 2011 and have climbed it three other times (all from Nepal) - 2002, 2003 and 2008 each time reaching just below the Balcony around 27,500' (8400 meters) before health, weather or my own judgment caused me to turn back. I attempted Lhotse twice - 2015 and 2016. When not climbing, I cover the Everest season from my home in Colorado as I did for the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 , 2017, 2018, 2019, a virtual 2020 season, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 , 2025 and now the 2026 season.

This page details the North Ridge route from Tibet. Also see the South Col route map.

"one of the world's most respected chronicler of Everest" - Outside Magazine

Follow Alan Arnette's Everest 2026 Coverage

• base camp: 17000' - 5182m
• Interim camp: 20300' - 6187m - 5 to 6 hours (first time)
• Advanced base camp: 21300' - 6492m - 6 hours (first time)
• North Col or C1: 23,000' - 7000m - 4 to 6 hours (first time)
• Camp 2: 24,750' - 7500m - 5 hours
• Camp 3: 27,390' - 8300m - 4 to 6 hours
• Yellow Band
• First Step: 27890' - 8500m
• Mushroom Rock -28047' / 8549m - 2 hours from C3
• Second Step: 28140' - 8577m - 1 hour or less
• Third Step: 28500' - 8690m - 1 to 2 hours
• Summit Pyramid - 2 hours
• Summit: 29,031' / 8848m - 1 hour
• Return to Camp 3: 7 -8 hours
• Return to ABC: 3 hours

Typical Climb Schedule

• March 29- Arrive Kathmandu, Nepal
• March 30,31- Kathmandu
• April 1 - Fly to Lhasa, Tibet (Elevation 12,000 ft)
• April 6-7- Lhasa sightseeing (Begin acclimatization)
• April 8 - Drive to Shigatse (12,500 ft)
• April 9- Drive to Tingri (Shegar) (13,800 ft)
• April 10 - Drive to Everest Base Camp (BC)(17,000ft)
• April 11-13 - Setup BC and acclimatize
• April 14 - Trek to Interim camp (IC) (20,300 ft)
• April 15 - Arrive at Advance base camp (21,300 ft)
• Apr 16 - 27 May - Climbing Period (camps 2 & 3 Summit)
• May 28 - Return to Advance base camp (ABC)
• May 29- Return to base camp (BC)
• May 30 - Disassemble BC
• May 31 - Drive to Nyalam Tibet
• June 1 - Drive to Kathmandu
• June 2,3,4 - Weather days or back in Kathmandu
• June 5 - Depart for Home

Overview

The north side of Everest is steeped in history with multiple attempts throughout the 1920's and 1930's. The first attempt was by a British team in 1921. Mallory led a small team to be the first human to set foot on the mountains flanks by climbing up to the North Col (7003m).  The second expedition, that of 1922  reached 27,300' before turning back, and was the first team to use supplemental oxygen. It was also on this expedition that the first deaths were reported when an avalanche killed seven Sherpas.

The 1924 British expedition with George Mallory and Andrew Sandy Irvine is most notable for the mystery of whether they summited or not. If they did summit, that would precede Tenzing and Hilary by 29 years. Mallory's body was found in 1999 but there was no proof that he died going up or coming down thus the importance of finding the camera and potential photos of a summit.

It was a Chinese team who made the first summit from Tibet on May 25, 1960.  Nawang Gombu (Tibetan) and Chinese Chu Yin-Hau and Wang Fu-zhou who is said to have climbed the Second Step in his sock feet, claimed the honor. However without a summit photo, many doubted the summit claim. In 1975, a successful summit was claimed by the Chinese when the ladder on the Second Step was installed.

Tibet was closed to foreigners from 1950 to 1980 preventing any further attempts until a Japanese team summited in 1980 via the Hornbein Couloir on the North Face.

But it is who summited first that dominates Everest folklore. Was it Mallory and Irvin in 1924, or Tenzing and Hillary as we know in 1953. Some even speculate it was British climber, Maurice Wilson in 1933

With the mystery dominating Everest gossip for almost a century, teams have looked in vain for positive proof of a 1924 summit. There have been valiant efforts throughout the years. In 1933, Irvine's wooden ice axe was found in the fall line of the climber's last known route. A Chinese porter reported seeing an "english dead" in 1960 but there were no pictures.

Then in 1999, a team led by IMG founder Eric Simonson conducted a serious search. Conrad Anker found Mallory's body on the north side below the Chinese reported location. Neither Irvine's body nor the camera was located. Simonson returned in 2001 to look for the camera, without success. It was the classic needle in the haystack search complicated by snow cover.

While the discovery of Mallory's body created excitement throughout the climbing world, it did not provide any evidence of a summit. In fact it just fueled the speculation. Everest historian, Tom Hozel has studied images of the area and feels he knows where the Irvine's body is located. He is seeking sponsors for an expedition.

Recent Events

The 2025 Everest expedition has come to a close, marked by strong winds, drones, challenging climbing, and innovative strategies. Along the way were reports of frostbite and helicopter evacuations, but many of these incidents went unreported. Yet, as always, the mountain reminded us that respect is never optional at 8,848 meters.

The Numbers

According to the December 2025 update from the Himalayan Database, 851 climbers reached the summit in the spring season, 731 from the Nepalese side and 120 from the Tibetan side, representing the third busiest season on record after the 877 summits achieved in 2019. On the Nepal side, 303 members were supported by 428 Sherpas, a strong 1.4:1 Sherpa-to-member ratio, suggesting that more support is required for increasingly inexperienced clients. The Tibet route saw smaller, steadier teams: 68 members and 65 Sherpas, or a support ratio of roughly 0.76:1, consistent with its more experienced approach.

Across both routes, 766 men (56% success) and 85 women (76% success) reached the top, extending a positive trend in women's participation and completion rates. Almost every climber used supplemental oxygen, all but four, underscoring how central oxygen management remains to Himalayan logistics.

Route Performance

On the south side, 63% of member with permits (303 of 481) ended in success. The north posted a much higher rate of 86% (68 of 79). Alpenglow noted

"This spring, our Alpenglow Expeditions team returned to the North Side of Mount Everest with a small crew and a big plan. After months of preparation, pre-acclimatization, and weather watching, our Everest expedition 2025 culminated in an incredibly rare summit day, blue skies, no wind, and a quiet mountain."

Losses and Lessons

Tragically, five climbers died this season, all on the Nepal side, setting the fatality rate at roughly 0.27%. That’s among the lowest on record, but each number tells a story of risk — a reminder of Everest’s tiny margin for error. Even with modern communications, higher flow oxygen systems, and sophisticated forecasts, the mountain still demands discipline and humility.

Rescues

The well-respected Global Rescue evacuation operation noted a dramatic increase in rescues again suggesting inexperienced clients or unprepared operators.

"We handle several rescue operations every day throughout the spring Everest climbing season, keeping our team engaged from before sunrise well into the night," said Dan Stretch, a Global Rescue operations manager who has overseen more than 500 evacuations and crisis responses in the Himalayas. "At peak activity, our medical and rescue teams have performed up to 25 rescues in a single day, sometimes more."

Record Summits

There were milestones worth celebrating:
- Kami Rita Sherpa,55, reached an unprecedented 31st Everest summits, continuing to redefine endurance on the world’s highest peak.
- Kenton Cool, 51, expanded his record for a non Sherpa with his 19th summit.
- Anja Blacha, 34, became the first German woman to summit without supplemental oxygen on the last summit day of the season, a remarkable show of strength and resolve.

The gender gap continued to close, as several of the year's most focused and disciplined climbs came from women.

The 2025 season reflected many current trends:

• Shorter expeditions. The average time to summit was 28 days in 2025, compared to 33 in 2019, 36 in 2010, and a whopping 48 days in 2005. Operators are acclimatizing on lesser peaks like Lobuche and having clients pre-acclimatizing at home using Hypoxic tents to arrive in Nepal acclimatized to at least 17,000 feet.
• Multiple Sherpas climb with one client continued. On the Nepal side, 303 members were supported by 428 Sherpas, a strong 1.4:1 Sherpa-to-member ratio. The one-and-a-half Sherpa for each foreigner has become the norm, with some teams having a 2 or even three-to-one support ratio, especially when using extra supplemental oxygen.
• Formula climb with operators using the same route, placing camps at the same spot annually, and now the fixed ropes are being centrally managed by the Expedition Operators Organization out of Kathmandu.
• Luxuries continue to expand despite the authorities' best efforts to tame them. It's common to see clients sleeping off the ground on cots with mattresses, down duvets in stand-up tents, a long way from crawling into a North Face VE25 to sleep on the ground. The Internet is widely available, as is wine with dinner and croissants for breakfast.
• Weather remains the highest barrier for all climbers, regardless of fitness, guide, or experience. Unstable weather windows, erratic jet stream activity, and crowd flow created long lines in the usual spots.

Everest in Context

Viewed against historical data, Everest has grown markedly safer even as traffic has increased. Between 1923 and 1999, there were 1,170 summits and 170 deaths, a 14.5% fatality rate. From 2000 to 2025, climbers achieved 12,567 summits with 169 deaths, dropping the rate to 1.4%. Still, several years stand out for massive death numbers, 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2023, then mostly natural disasters like serac falls, earthquakes, and avalanches pushed totals sharply upward. Notably, 39% of Everest member fatalities on the Nepal side, 82 of 208, have occurred during descents from the summit, when climbers are exhausted.

Death rates across all the world's high mountains continue to decrease primarily due to larger Sherpa support ratios, more reliable oxygen at flow rates up to 8 lpm, improved gear, accurate forecasting, and a shift toward professional guiding on established routes. While among all 8,000-meter peaks, Everest holds the highest absolute number of deaths (339), it has a relatively low death rate of 1.07%.

However the historical leaders with high death counts, while reduced, remain high as shown by Annapurna I with roughly 75 recorded deaths and around 510 summits, the fatality to summit ratio is about 15% and the infamous K2 has reduced from 25% to today's 12% primarily due to Nepalese Sherpa companies commercializing the climbs with strong support, standard routes, high oxygen flows and repeatable logistics. Cho Oyu continues to be the safest 8000er at 0.53%, followed by Lhotse at 0.62%.

2026 Preview: A New Era of Costs and Choices

The Nepali government confirmed a permit fee increase to $15,000 per foreign climber effective September 1, 2025, up from the longtime $11,000 rate. Combined with insurance, logistics, and agency fees, this could raise average expedition costs by $5,000 to $7,000 per person, bringing a Sherpa-led expedition on the Nepal side to a median price close to $60,000, and for a Western-led climb, now $100,000 or more. While China has not increased its permit fees, in my opinion, look for operators to normalize prices for parity on both sides, thus increasing their profit margins.

With Nepal prices increasing, as is the crowding and negative publicity around long queues near the summit, look for 2026 to be a test season to see if climbers will move en masse to the less crowded, albeit more technically demanding Tibetan side. In any event, as of December 2025, operators are putting out "last call" for their 2026 Everest expeditions as they fill up quickly.

Statistics Updated through December 2025

Summits - updated December 2025

Early Attempts and Summits

• The first attempt was in 1921 by a British expedition from the north (Tibet) side
• The first summit was on May 29, 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa from India. They climbed from the south side on a British expedition led by Colonel John Hunt.
• The first north side summit was on May 25, 1960 by Nawang Gombu (Tibetan) and Chinese climbers Chu Yin-Hau and Wang Fu-zhou
• The youngest person to summit is American Jordan Romero, age 13 years 11 months, on May 23, 2010 from the north side.
• The oldest person to summit is Japanese Miura Yiuchiro, age 80 on May 23, 2013
• The first climbers to summit Everest without bottled oxygen were Italian Reinhold Messner with Peter Habler in 1978
• Reinhold Messner is the only person to have truly summited Everest solo-completely alone on the mountain, and without supplemental oxygen. He did it in 1980 from the Tibet side via the Great Couloir

Male Summits

• The youngest male to summit is American Jordan Romero, age 13 years 10 months, on May 23, 2010 from the north side.
• The oldest male to summit is Japanese Miura Yiuchiro, age 80 on May 23, 2013
• Kami Rita (Topke) Sherpa (Thami) holds the record for most summits (male or female) with 32, the most recent one in May, 2025.
• Pasang Dawa Sherpa of Pangboche has summited 28 times with the last on May, 2025.
• Briton Kenton Cool have the most non-Sherpa summits with 19, the most recent in 2025.
• 12,690 males have summited with a 42% summit rate

Female Summits

• The first woman to summit Everest was Junko Tabei of Japan in 1975
• The oldest woman to summit was Japanese Tamae Watanabe, age 73, in 2012 from the north
• The youngest woman to summit was Indian Malavath Poorna, 13 years 11 months on May 25, 2014 from the north side
• 1041 women have summited through December 2025 with a 54% summit rate.
• Nepali, Lakpa Sherpani, 48, holds the women's summit record with 10 (3 South, 7 north)

Summit Statistics

• There have been 13,737 summits of Everest for a 43% summit rate through December 2025, on all routes by 7,563 different people.
• 6,654 members (clients) have summited and 7,083 hired (Sherpas)
• 1,779 people have summited multiple times
• Sherpas have the most summits at 7,083 by 1,284 different people
• 124 Sherpas have summited Everest ten or more times.
• There are 1,166 Sherpas with multiple summits totaling 6,359 summits
• The Nepal side is more popular with 9,876 summits compared to 3,861 summits from the Tibet side
• 232 climbers summited without supplemental oxygen through December 2025, about 1.69%
• 35 climbers have traversed from one side to the other.
• 681 climbers have summited from both Nepal and Tibet
• 172 climbers have summited more than once in a single season, including 84 who summited within seven days of their first summit that season.
• About 66% of all expeditions put at least one member on the summit
• Member climbers from the USA have the most country member summits at 1,139, followed by China at 1054, India at 1134, and the UK at 583.

Death Statistics

• 339 people have died on Everest from 1922 to December 2025. This is about 2.5% of those who summited or a death rate of 1.06 of those who attempted to make the summit.
• 207 westerners and 132 Sherpas have died on Everest from 1922 to December 2025.
• Member climbers age 60-64 have the highest death rate at 3.30.
• Westerners die at a higher rate, 1.33 compared to hired at 0.80.
• Of the total deaths, 180 died or 53% attempting to summit without using supplemental oxygen.
• 14 women have died with death rate of 0.73 compared to 1.08 for male climbers.
• Of the 339 deaths, 98 died on the descent from their summit bid or 29%, a rate of 0.72
• The Nepalese side has seen 9,876 summits with 229 deaths through December 2025 or 2.3%, a rate of 1.07. 132, or 58% of the Nepal deaths did not use Os.
• The Tibet side has seen 3,861 summits with 110 deaths through December 2025 or 2.8%, a rate of 1.05. 48, or 44% died on the Tibet side not using Os.
• Climbers from India (30), Japan (20), the UK (19) and the US (17) have the most all-time deaths.
• Most bodies all are still on the mountain but China has removed many bodies from sight.
• The top causes of death on both sides were from avalanche (77), fall (75), altitude sickness (48), exhaustion (32) and exposure (26).
• From 1922 to 1999: 170 people died on Everest with 1,170 summits or 14.5%, a rate of 1.80. But the death rate drastically declined from 2000 to 2023 with 12,567 summits and 169 deaths or 1.3%, for a rate of 0.75.
• However, four years skewed the deaths rates with 17 in 2014, 14 in 2015, 11 in 2019 and the record 18 in 2023, all natural disasters -earthquakes, avalanches, serac collapses.
• At least 11 of the 18 2023 deaths were preventable through better logistics, adequate oxygen and better on-mountain support.
• The reduction in deaths is primarily due to better higher levels of Sherpa support, supplemental oxygen at higher rates, better gear, weather forecasting and more people climbing with commercial operations.

Latest: Spring 2025

• In 2025, there were 851 summits, including 731 on Nepal and 120 from Tibet side.
• The Nepal side broken out by 303 members supported by 428 Sherpas for a support:client ratio of 1.4:1 and on the Tibet side 68 members supported by 52 Sherpas for a support:client ratio of 0.76.
• Of the total on both sides, 766 males (56% success) and 85 females (76% success) summited.
• All but 4 of the 851 summiteers used supplemental oxygen.
• On the Nepal side, 63% or 303 of all 481 attempts by members were successful.
• On the Tibet side, 86% or 68 of all 79 attempts by members were successful.
• Overall, the Tibet side saw a 68% summit rate compared to 57% on the Nepal side.
• There were 4 deaths of Everest climbers, a rate of 0.27

See more stats at this page

courtesy of the Himalayan Database and my own research.

Base Camp (17,000/5666m) to Advanced Base Camp (ABC)(21,300'/6400m)

From BC to ABC it is about 12 miles (22km) of rugged hiking on boulders, ice and snow. The route follows the Rongbuk Glacier until it merges with the Eastern Rongbuk Glacier. ABC is on the northwestern side moraine of East Rongbuk Glacier, under the slopes of Changtse Mountain.

It normally takes 2 days for the first trip to ABC stopping at an interim camp. Once acclimatized, the trek takes 1 day. ABC is the primary High Camp home for Northeast Ridge climbers during the expedition. Climbers use the lower base camp for rest and preparation prior to their summit bid.

ABC to North Col (Camp 1)

(23,000'/7000m) The North Col camp is a 2,200' climb from ABC. Leaving Camp 1, climbers reach the East Rongbuk Glacier and put on their crampons for the first time. After a short walk, they clip into the fixed rope.

The climb from ABC to the North Col steadily gains altitude with one steep section of 60 degrees that will feel vertical. Climbers are clipped into the fixed rope and use their ascenders. Rappelling is used to descend this section. A few ladders may be placed over deep crevasses.

It takes between 4 to 7 hours to reach the North Col depending on acclimatizing and weather.

Camp 1 to Camp 2

(24,750'/7500m) C2 starts the "High Camps". The route is usually pure snow but can be rock since this section is known for high winds.
It should take about 3 to 5 hours to reach C2. Some teams use this as their highest camp for acclimatization purposes.

Camp 2 to Camp 3 (25,600'/7900m)

Some expeditions do not use a Camp 3 and go directly to 8300 m. At almost 8000m, most climbers now sleep on supplemental oxygen.

The climb is extremely windy and the tents are on small rock ledges since there is limited large and level areas. At Camp 3, the wind is usually blocked by the North Face of Everest so sleeping is easier. Climbers will take 3 to 6 hours to reach C3.

This is equivalent to the South Col in altitude and exposure to the weather.

Camp 3 to Camp 4 (27,390'/8300m)

Camp 4 (or Camp 3 if the previous camp is skipped) is a short rest stop on the way to the summit for most climbers. At 27,390', you do not want to spend a lot of time here. Climbers will have some food and water, perhaps a short nap and start for the summit around 10:00PM.

Leaving C3, climbers follow the fixed rope through a snow filled gully; part of the Yellow Band. From here, climbers take a small ramp and reach the northeast ridge proper.

The Northeast Ridge is a few hundred feet above C4.

Camp 4 to 2nd Step

The Northeast Ridge represents the most difficult climbing on this route. There are three "steps" or rock climbs along
the way.

The 1st Step, the first of three rock features, is difficult at this altitude. The route tends to cross to the right of the high point. Some climbers may rate it as steep and challenging. It requires hard pulling on the fixed ropes in the final gully to the ridge.

Mushroom rock is a feature on the Ridge that spotters and climbers can use to measure their progress on summit night. Oxygen is swapped here. The route can be full of loose rock adding to the difficulty with crampons.

The 2nd step is the crux of the climb with the Chinese Ladder. Climbers must first climb about 10' of rock slab then climb the near vertical 30' ladder. This section is very exposed with a 10,000' vertical drop.

It is more difficult to navigate on the descent since you cannot see your feet placement on the ladder rungs.This brief section is notorious for long delays thus increasing the chance of frostbite or AMS.

Second Step to Summit

The 3rd Step is another straight forward rock climb but challenging at this altitude (nothing is easy anymore). Climbers now spend the next hour to climb the steep snowfields of the Summit Pyramid.

It is a steep snow slope, often windy and extremely cold, climbers feel very exposed.  Towards the top of the Pyramid, climbers are extremely exposed again as they navigate around a large outcropping and experience three more small rock steps on a ramp before the final ridge climb to the summit.

The Summit Ridge is the final 500' horizontal distance along the ridge to the summit and is quite exposed. Slope angle range from 30 to 60 degrees. It is narrow with 10,000' drop-offs on both sides leading directly to the Everest Summit.

Now the climbers have spent 8 to 10 hours to summit.  It will take another 4 to 6 to return to C3.

See this excellent 2007 first person description of this route from Philippe Gatta

see more facts here