Everest 2026: A Few More Summits, Speed Runner is Climbing

 

American trail runner Tyler Andrews departed from Everest Base Camp at 8:25 pm local time on Friday evening to attempt to set the record for the fastest ascent and descent to the summit without using supplemental oxygen. You can follow him on his site.

The season total is well over 700.

More to Come

By my count, I’m predicting 800 total summit attempts, so with 700 completed, that leaves around 100 to go, maybe less. Look for more from Madison Mountaineering and AAI, both of which moved to the Col today, targeting May 25 for the summit. Elete Expeditonas is re-targeting May 26 for their final team. Garret told me the Icefall Docs will remove the ladders on May 29, so the clock is ticking.

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Nepal Permit Update

As of May 15, 2026, Nepal has issued 1,181 climbing permits to 142 teams across 30 peaks, bringing in $8.43 million US dollars in permit fees, with Everest accounting for $7.1 million. Everest climbers are from 55 countries. China has the most climbers at 109, followed by the U.S. at 77, India at 61 and the UK at 32. There are 105 female climbers on Everest this season. This is the current tally for the 8000ers. 

8000er	Teams	Male Clients	Female Clients	Total
Annapurna I	4	19	8	27
Dhaulagiri	4	18	12	30
Everest	51	389	105	494
Kanchenjunga	4	23	13	36
Lhotse	14	99	44	143
Makalu	11	51	21	72
Manaslu	1	2	0	2
TOTALS	89	601	203	804

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American trail runner Tyler Andrews departed from Everest Base Camp at 8:25 pm local time on Friday evening to attempt to set the record for the fastest ascent and descent to the summit without using supplemental oxygen. You can follow him on his site.

The season total is well over 700.

More to Come

By my count, I’m predicting 800 total summit attempts, so with 700 completed, that leaves around 100 to go, maybe less. Look for more from Madison Mountaineering and AAI, both of which moved to the Col today, targeting May 25 for the summit. Elete Expeditonas is re-targeting May 26 for their final team. Garret told me the Icefall Docs will remove the ladders on May 29, so the clock is ticking.

---

Nepal Permit Update

As of May 15, 2026, Nepal has issued 1,181 climbing permits to 142 teams across 30 peaks, bringing in $8.43 million US dollars in permit fees, with Everest accounting for $7.1 million. Everest climbers are from 55 countries. China has the most climbers at 109, followed by the U.S. at 77, India at 61 and the UK at 32. There are 105 female climbers on Everest this season. This is the current tally for the 8000ers. 

8000er	Teams	Male Clients	Female Clients	Total
Annapurna I	4	19	8	27
Dhaulagiri	4	18	12	30
Everest	51	389	105	494
Kanchenjunga	4	23	13	36
Lhotse	14	99	44	143
Makalu	11	51	21	72
Manaslu	1	2	0	2
TOTALS	89	601	203	804

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