Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 13–Icefall In, Summits and Deaths

It was a tough week in the Himalayas. We saw summits on two 8000ers, two Sherpas died, and the Icefall Doctors finally got the route to Camp 1 through the Khumbu Icefall. Also, it feels like the early predictions of a record and crowded Nepal side are coming true, with more permits issued at this time than last year.

Big Picture

Teams are streaming into Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side, while those headed to the Tibet side are finalizing plans and doing last-minute gear checks before they leave home. The trekking peaks, Island, Lobuche, and others are busy seeing Everest climbers summiting as a substitute for one rotation through the Khumbu Icefall and others reaching their summit goals on those peaks on their own.

The Indian Army is back with three large teams, composing 47 climbers this year. After missing the last few, they have been regulars for years. In 2015, they stayed behind at EBC after the earthquake to help with the clean-up.

Sherpas from a few teams have already carried gear to Stock Camp 2.

In sad news, there is the first death of the Everest season at EBC. Lanima Sherpa, 55, reportedly died due to high altitude sickness at the Base Camp of Mt Everest. 

Last Week – Icefall Reaches Camp 1

The Icefall Doctors completed the fixed ropes to the top of the Khumbu Icefall and will soon reach Camp 1, followed by Camp 2 at the base of the Lhotse Face.

This progress clears the way for Sherpas from all teams at EBC to begin ferrying tents, food, stoves, fuel, tables, and chairs to these upper camps. It will still be a week or more before we see the first members go up.

The first course of business is to have a Puja where a local Lama prays for forgiveness from the mountain gods for damaging the peak with sharp objects like crampons, ice axes, and ice screws, permission to climb on the peak, and also for the safety of everyone on the expeditions, climbers or not.

The Icefall Doctors are experts at navigating the route, but it can get tough occasionally, and this year is proving it. The abnormally dry winter and high winds have caused dangerous rockfalls from Everest’s West Shoulder onto the Icefall. This map shows that various routes have emerged over the years depending on conditions. This year, the Docs planned to use drones to identify the optimal one, but I have not seen any updates on their deployment.

The upper Icefall is a jumble of house-sized ice blocks strewn apart as the glacier falls from the Western Cwm. Gravity pulls them apart, while the friction at the base against the rocks keeps them in place. The result is enormous gaps that often require long ladders to cross.

In 1951, the British team led by Eric Shipton climbed through the Icefall but stopped just short of the top because of a wide crevasse. To cross the crevasses, the early expeditions used long tree trunks brought up from tree line after they ran out of ladders.

Contrary to popular belief and media reports, there are more dangerous sections on the Nepal side than the Icefall. Yes, if measured by single events, more deaths have occurred there, such as in 1970, when six Sherpas died in the Icefall, in 2014, when sixteen Sherpas died when a serac collapsed off West Shoulder, and in 2023, when three Sherpas died in the upper Icefall when it collapsed.

I used the Himalayan Database and searched for deaths between 5400 and 5940 meters – the altitude range of the Icefall. Of the 225 deaths on the Nepal side, 43 occurred in the Icefall. Virtually all these deaths were Sherpas ferrying loads to camps in the Cwm and above.

• 21 – Avalanche (16 in 2014 from Everest West Shoulder from the hanging seracs)
• 17 – Icefall Collapse (Similar to what we saw in spring 2023, taking three Sherpas)
•   3 – Crevasse
•   1  – Illness
•   1 – AMS

Route-Early or Late?

So, was the route late in 2025 to be fixed in the Icefall? History shows that the Docs got the route set between April 2^nd and 16^th, so 2025 was about on schedule.

Other 8000ers

Annapurna Summits and Deaths

Besides Everest’s Icefall activity, all eyes were on Annapurna last week, with summits from several teams:

• Seven Summits Treks put a total of six clients with six Sherpas on the summit
• Imagine Nepal reported one client with 2 Sherpas
• 8K Expeditions: 6 clients with 7 Sherpas
• Pioneer Adventures: 4 clients with 4 Sherpas

In Memory of Ngima Tashi and Rima Rinji: With profound sadness, we share the heartbreaking news that, after days of relentless search efforts, we have not been able to locate our Sherpa Guides Ngima Tashi and Rima Rinje, who went missing in an avalanche on Annapurna. Despite every effort we made, deploying two search helicopters, assisted by 5 Sherpas from the immediate moment of the disaster, it has been 4 days, yet we have not found any trace of either of the two men. It is no longer possible for anyone to survive this long under the mass of snow and ice, and prolonging search efforts on the slopes of Annapurna means we are risking the lives of other Sherpas and members too. Thus, with a heavy heart, we have made the difficult decision to suspend the search and bid farewell to Ngima Tashi and Rima Rinje. We have lost two of our finest Sherpa Guides. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families.

Next Week

Expect scores of clients to arrive at the Nepal-side base camp, where they will settle into their tents- either the old-fashioned kind that has you sleeping on the ground or the Four Seasons style, featuring a bed with a down duvet! Either way, they are there to climb a mountain, so rest up, relax, and enjoy the pampering; suffering awaits you soon!

Nepal Permit Update

Across fifteen of Nepal’s climbing peaks, through April 9, 2025, the Ministry of Tourism collected USD 1.8 million in royalties, with Everest accounting for USD 1.47 million. This is the 2025 tally for the 8000ers:

Potpourri

The Duffle Shuffle Podcast from Alpenglow

Twice a month, Alpenglow’s founder Adrian Ballenger and Sam Kieckhefer chat about climbing, guiding and mountains. They just posted their 26th episode of the Duffle Shuffle with Garret Madison. I was their guest in the previous episode. It’s a fun, fast-paced style that has something for everyone.

New Rescue Service in Peru and Bolivia

Eric Raul Albino Lliuya recently contacted me to introduce a valuable life-saving service that is launching in Peru. Eric is a professional mountain guide and a member of the Peruvian High Mountain Rescue Team (Socorro Andino Peruano), a private organization dedicated to high-altitude rescue in the country.

Peruvian Andean Relief–Group of Peruvian Mountain Rescue–is a Peruvian organization that assists people facing emergencies or accidents in mountainous or remote areas of Peru. The group comprises experienced climbers, mountaineers, and rescue experts who are frequently called upon to provide support during expeditions or natural disasters in the Andean region. They collaborate with companies like Global Rescue and Magnus for climbers with evacuation policies and support staff.

If you are climbing in Peru, make sure these numbers are on your speed dial: Central Peru: +51 943 081 066, Lima Central Peru: +51 985 302 290, La Paz Central Bolivia: +591 76200717 and La Paz Central Bolivia: +591 76235806

Nepal to Shut Down Facebook, Twitter and the rest?

Nepal’s Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, announced this past week that all social media platforms must “register” by mid-April or be shut down. It’s all about money. The Minister said, “Social media platforms are registered and pay taxes in many countries, including our neighbor India. They must do the same here in Nepal. It’s time they fulfill their responsibilities toward the Nepali state as well.”

If climbers hope to stay in touch using these platforms, I hope they have a Garmin InReach as backup!

Himalayan Database

I use the Himalayan Database as my primary source of Everest summit statistics. If you are climbing in 2022, they ask you to fill in an electronic web-based survey, replacing the time-consuming process of visiting each team in their hotel before the climb. In addition, you can now download the HDB for free at their site.

An email notification is sent to everyone on the mailing list for each new post. If you would like to see anything special this year, post a comment or drop me an email.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

Here’s the Podcast of this Weekend Update

The Podcast on alanarnette.com

You can listen to #everest2025 podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Breaker, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.

Previous Everest 2025 Season Coverage Posts

• Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 11
• Annapurna 2025: Summit and Missing Sherpas
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 6
• Annapurna 2025: Risky Decisions – April 5 Update
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update March 30
• Everest 2025: Weekend Update March 23
• Everest 2025: Welcome to Everest 2025 Coverage – an introduction to the Everest 2025 Spring season
• Everest by the Numbers: 2025 Edition – A deep dive into Everest statistics as compiled by the Himalayan Database
• Comparing the Routes of Everest: 2025 Edition – A detailed look at Everest’s routes, commercial, standard and non-standard
• How Much Does it Cost to Climb Everest: 2025 Edition – My annual review of what it costs to climb Everest solo, unsupported, and guided

Why this coverage?

I like to use these weekend updates to remind my readers that I’m just one guy who loves climbing. With 38 serious climbing expeditions, including four Everest trips under my belt and a summit in 2011, I use my site to share those experiences, demystify Everest each year, and bring awareness to Alzheimer’s Disease. My mom, Ida Arnette, died from this disease in 2009, as have four of my aunts. It was a heartbreaking experience that I hope no other family will go through; thus, I asked for donations to non-profits, which 100% goes to them and nothing ever to me.

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Navigating the internet to find the best company for climbing the highest peaks can be overwhelming. Alan’s expertise can help you save money and increase your chances of achieving your goals through his unique industry experiences, including climbs, summits, sponsorships, and organization. Although he ran track in high school and set state records, his fitness level didn’t directly translate to climbing at high altitudes (above 10,000 feet) when he started at age 38. Thus, Alan developed a proprietary physical training program he used to summit K2, Everest and many other massive peaks. 

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