Summit, Forest, summit! With decent weather, climbers took full advantage of summiting four of the 8000ers, including the first Everest summits, with more teams on their way this season. One person attempted to set a speed record on Everest. The fixed line is to the summit of Lhotse and the Nepalese and Tibetan sides of Everest. 8K Expeditions did an excellent job of being dedicated and patient with high winds. With 456 Everest and 107 Lhotse permits issued, look for summits daily as the winds allow. And, a narrative on climbing to the South Col and preparing for the summit bid.
Each weekend during the season, I’ll post a “Weekend Update” summarizing the main stories from the past week, what to expect next, and more posts whenever there is meaningful news.
Big Picture
High winds have subsided, allowing the rope teams to summit Lhotse and both sides of Everest, as well as the other 8000ers: Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, and Makalu, which have already seen summits. On Everest, multiple teams have announced they are acclimatized and ready to summit. They include 8K Expeditions, Climbing the Seven Summits, and Climbayala on the Tibet side. Sherpas are busy stocking both Cols on Everest with tents, oxygen bottles, and more, ready for their clients to arrive.
Weather
I reached out to Michael Fagin of Everest Weather for his thoughts on the upcoming week and suitable weather days. Michael has been providing forecasts for climbers worldwide for decades:
Summit Winds
For the period May 12 to May 18, forecast models do not bring the jet stream over Everest, which is certainly good news. However, the European forecast model has summit winds with maximum gusts up to 40 mph (64 km/hr.) for May 16 to May 18. Interestingly, the US-based GFS model and the Korean model have summit maximum wind gusts much more reasonable at 20 mph (32 km/hr.) on May 17 and for May 18 at 15 mph (24 km/hr.)
I would still think we can get these higher winds listed by the European model, which I think tends to be the most accurate model.
Snow
Most models show just light snowfall, except up to 1 to 2 inches of snow for May 17 and May 18.
Bay of Bengal
Not seeing any storms forming in the Bay through May 18
Disclaimer
If you are climbing Everest, you need to get additional forecasts since the forecast models usually change from day to day. There are websites that have some updated information.
Michael Fagin
Operational Meteorologist
Everest Weather
Last Week/Today
Despite the heavy snow on Everest, especially on the Tibet side, we’ve seen several summits of Everest after the rope team reached the summit.
On the Nepalese side, Ecuadorian Patricio Arevalo summited without supplemental oxygen, becoming the first member to reach the summit in the 2025 season. 14 Peaks noted that three Chinese climbers, supported by five Sherpas, along with Asel Baibagysheva, the first female climber from Kyrgyzstan, summited Everest at 9:15 a.m. on May 11th. That makes for a total of 18 Everest summits, with many more to come.
On the Tibetan side, a rope team of 20 Tibetans and Chinese climbers summited, thus fixing the ropes to the summit per Adrian Ballinger, who sent me this message from his ABC, along with this picture: “Approx 20 Chinese Tibetan rope fixers on final snow slope to summit on North side. Looks perfect up there.”
Furtenbach Adventures reports, “A perfect day here in Everest South side in basecamp. Waiting for the right weather window while our North side team is descending to Basecamp from their Rotation to North Col.”
Compared to the 45+ teams on the Nepalese side, the Tibetan side is relatively quiet, with a handful of teams, including Alpenglow, a Chinese team, Climbalaya Treks & Expeditions, Furtenbach Adventures, Himalaya Expeditions, Kobler & Partner, and Imagine Nepal.
American Tyler Andrews, who was attempting to set a speed record by running from EBC to the summit without oxygen, stopped just above Camp 3, according to his GPS tracker. There’s no official word on what happened. That leaves Karl Egloff as the only speed climber on Everest this season, unless Tyler tries again.
However, it appears that Mitch Hutchcraft accomplished his goal to complete what he calls Mount Everest’s longest climb. He swam the English Channel, cycled to India, and ran and hiked to the mountain, where he summited today, May 11, 2025 with Gelje Sherpa. He’s raising awareness of animal conservation projects and money for the non-profit animal conservation organization SAVISM.
The Swim Phase involved a 34-kilometre swim across the English Channel from Shakespeare’s Cliff near Dover to Cap Gris Nez near Calais in France. During the project’s longest phase, he cycled over 10,000 kilometres from Calais in France, East across Europe and Asia, into eastern India. In the third phase, he hiked over 900 kilometres from sea level at Digha beach in West Bengal, India, to Nepal.
In the fourth and final phase, he walked over 350 kilometers from Kathmandu to the foot of Mt. Everest, where he is currently on his acclimatization rotations before his summit attempt in mid-May.
Next Week
It will be full-on summit week, but high winds may delay some attempts. Those eager to make the top and ignore the winds may suffer from frostbite or worse. Team leaders would be wise to listen to the forecasters. May 19th is emerging as a favorite day, but the best lead teams may wait out the mass push and go in a later window.
Other 8000ers
Seven Summits Treks (SST) is one of the dominant Nepal operators and runs commercial climbs on all fourteen of the 8000 m peaks. They, along with several other teams, reported multiple summits on May 9th, 10th,, and 11th. This year, they had a record 103 clients on Everest, as well as some notable stars on the other peaks.
Annapurna–Ended–40+ Summits
The Anna season concludes with nearly forty summits and two tragic Sherpa deaths. Anna had six teams with a total of sixty-six clients.
Dhaulagiri–13 Summits
The SST rope-fixing team summited along with German superstar, Anja Blacha, 34. She is on track to become the only German female to get all fourteen; she has twelve, needing only Cho Oyu and Shishapangma. They reported 13 people summited, including six members and seven Sherpas. Pakistani sensation Sajid Ali Sadpara summited without oxygen. Pioneer Adventure also had success with one Sherpa and a member. This season, fifteen foreigners have permits for Dhaulagiri across two teams.
Kangchenjunga–11 Summits, 2 Climbers Need Rescue
SST finished securing the ropes to the summit and brought along six clients, accompanied by five Sherpas. Finishing her 8000er collection is Kosovo athlete Uta Ibrahimi. Pioneer Adventure reported that one member, supported by one Sherpa, summited around 2:15 PM.
I’ve received a report directly from climbers on Kang that two climbers need to be rescued above 7000 meters, a French and a British national. They were climbing with SST. Altitude Junkies and Elite are two of several teams yet to summit. Forty-one people have climbing permits.
Makalu–57 Summits
SST set the summit lines on May 9, but clients had to wait for better weather, which came this weekend. They reported 15 summits, comprising seven clients and eight Sherpas, including Polish climber Piotr Krzyzowski, who summited without oxygen support.
8K Expeditions noted a remarkable summit of five siblings: Ang Dawa Sherpa, Muktu Lakpa Sherpa with daughter, Anima Sherpa, Ngima Dorchi Sherpa, Pechhumbe Sherpa, and Pasang Yangi Sherpa. They are from Nepal’s Sankhuwasabha district. Along with the family were Belgium’s Francois Mendriks and Ukrainian Iryana Karagan, as well as Singaporean Vincerez Zeng and Pem Lakpa Sherpa, on May 11th. Pioneer Adventure noted two summits, one by a member and another by a Sherpa.
14 Peaks Expedition put three Sherpas and two members, including Antonina Samoilova of Ukraine, on Makalu’s summit. And Satori noted they had 18 summits, seven members, and eleven Sherpas. Elite Exped briefly mentioned one client, but no Sherpas had summited Makalu. I assume there was at least one.
Last week, Australian Matthew Scholes, 36, summited, marking the first of the season for a non-Sherpa on Makalu. He was alone, with no supplemental Os and no fixed lines as they were buried in deep, fresh snow. He suffered frostbitten toes on the descent after resting in his tent at the high camp and failing to remove his boots. 14 Peaks announced five summits on May 9, accompanied by two clients and three Sherpas.
Several teams remain on the mountain, ready to summit, including Maddison Mountainering. This season, 79 foreigners have permits for Makalu across six teams.
Narrative–Into the Death Zone
Leaving Camp 3 after a restless night often brings on new personal altitude records for climbs, but also a harsh welcome to the Death Zone.
Narrative–Into the Death Zone
The climb from Camp 2 to 3 was tough. You thought that with your acclimatization rotation and spending a night at three last week, you were fully acclimatized and ready, but Everest seems to have an endless bag of tricks.
You arrived, fell into your tent before a teammate arrived. You share tents above EBC. You appreciated the alone time. Focus on your plan, reflect on the day, and give yourself that pep talk. “Keep going. Short, simple steps. This is your time.”
Ugg, you slump on top of the down sleeping bag, your head hitting the icy tent floor. Closing your eyes, you think about the last year, home, training, money, and your why. You were told when you started having doubts to think about your ‘why.’ What was your purpose for climbing Everest? Yeah, now you remember.
Your why has gotten you through many difficult training days on other peaks like Aconcagua, Denali, Ama Dablam, and more. But this was THE Everest, it doesn’t get higher than this, maybe harder but not higher, and with each step you lose more oxygen.
“Hey, you alive in there?” your tentmate arrives full of energy and trash talk. “Yeah, but I’m beat.” You mumble. “Come on, drink some water, and let’s boil some water for the dehydrated mush we brought up.” Soon, the Jet Boil is hissing, melting the snow chunks you collected just outside the tent. Reaching into your pack, you find the Mountain House “Homestyle Chicken Noodle Casserole,” smiling to yourself that you passed on the “Korean Style Beef” and “Classic Chili with Beef” meals. You’ve climbed enough to know your body has trouble digesting anything spicy, getting HAFE–High Altitude Flatulence. Above 8000 meters was not the place to have an intestinal accident in a full-on down suit!
Eating slowly, sitting cross-legged, peering out the open tent door, you are gob–smacked by the view. There’s Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest peak at 26,864 feet, with its signature flat summit plateau. It may be the largest summit area of the 8000ers. A helicopter could easily land there. You gently sweep your spork into the pouch, bringing a spoonful of the unheavenly concoction. “Hey, this is not too bad.” Your tentmate nods while chewing like a cow chews her cud.
A Sherpa drops by with a container of water. “Fill up your bottles. Drink as much as you can, we won’t get much at the Col.” This worries you as you thought you could top off your water bottles and leave for the summit with two, maybe three liters. Well, not much you can do about it now.
As the sun set over Cho, the golden hour emerged. You stare at the long gold horizon that gets ever thinner as the sun goes to bed for the night. The temperature goes from blazing to serious freezer condition in seconds. Stashing away the trash in your pack, you reach for the nasal cannula, a plastic tube with two nozzles, one for each nostril. This will deliver oxygen at a rate of half a liter per minute throughout the night. Tomorrow, you will switch to the Summit Oxygen mask and set the flow rate to 2 L/min.
Thinking about your first climb using supplemental oxygen, you remember waking up with your mask full of wet, slimy drool that had gathered in the hard plastic mask covering your mouth and nose. You are glad to use this lighter system to sleep more comfortably. Well, that’s a stretch goal at 7000 meters.
It takes a while, but eventually you drift off to the methodical sound of snores emerging from your neighbor’s tent. The night passes with glacial speed, and dawn comes early. Yet, the sun remains hidden behind the enormous Lhotse mountain. You won’t feel its warm, soothing rays until you reach the top of the Geneva Spur on the way to Camp 4.
Repeating the dinner routine, you make what is considered breakfast by rehydrating some powdered eggs and choking down a breakfast bar. “Yeah, these 400 calories should be enough for a five-hour climb to the Col.” You crassly say, ” You’re allowed. Your tentmate is still asleep.
Turning your sleeping bag inside out, you stuff it into the compression bag. This is a trick your coach told you back home. It reduces the volume by 20%, saving room in your pack for the necessities needed for the summit push. Wearing your full down suit, you slip your pack on and pull the oxygen mask over your face. Ready to go, you look around, “Damn, I forgot to put my crampons on!”
You almost start laughing at how you could make such a basic mistake, but it dawns on you where you are, how you slept, how little you had to eat and drink. It was taking a mental toll, and you still have 5,538 feet to go. Finally, all dressed up and ready to go, Dawa comes over to check on you. “Ready?” You nod, clip a carabiner to the fixed rope, slide your ascender behind the biner, and take a step higher.
Thanks to the hundreds of climbers before you, there’s a well-trodden boot path on the Face. Looking higher, realize that this is the steepest section of the face. Just after the bergschrund where the Lhotse Face met the Western Cwm, it was steep for a short time, but now this looks more like a ladder than stairs. “Short, simple steps. Short, simple steps.” Your mantra has served you well in these kinds of situations. Now, you are in the moment, lost are the doubts, the fears, the anticipation. You focus on efficient footwork and sliding the ascender smoothly up the rope. All you hear is a soft hiss of life-saving oxygen entering your mask and your breathing, steady, almost melodious. The village of the C3 tents is left behind as you reach the section of the booth path that turns left towards the Yellow Band. Thankfully, the mountain takes pity on you, and the angle relents.
You pause to look around, something you always do, knowing that looking at where you came from helps you appreciate where you are going. You see the vastness of the Western Cwm, the tiny spots of yellow tents marking Camp 1 and Camp 2, a line of Sherpas ferrying supplies or supporting their charges as they make their summit. You think about the dichotomy of so many people in such a remote part of the planet. You feel tiny. You think about your why.
You are now in a line of other climbers; no one speaks, everyone is focused on their world. The path kicks up as you approach the limestone band in this part of the Himalaya. Looking at the yellow rock, it’s smooth, and you see scratch marks left by other climbers’ sharp crampon points. You know climbing on rock with crampons can be physical. You take a step and slip back; it’s a game of inches. But you steady yourself using the rope. “Climb with your feet not jug on the rope.” You hear a voice in your head lecturing you on technique. You check your posture, stand up, look ahead, take a step, a short one and another. You are making progress. Leaving the rock band behind, you whisper, “There, I did it,” to the rock as if it were a mortal enemy. You will have this same combat on the return, but you’ll be drained of all that you are then, if you summit, when you summit.
Approaching the Geneva Spur, you see an angle of Everest you never had. Your eyes trace the right skyline; that’s your route. “Oh my, that’s steep.” You think, feeling shocked, surprised, and a bit challenged, that this may be more than you bargained for. A 1952 Swiss Everest team named the Spur, which serves as the gatekeeper to the South Col, is your last obstacle before reaching your tent and rest. The boot path and fixed line ease to your right and go straight up a 40-foot rock wall, which reminds you of bouldering back home. Once again, crampons on rock, you survey the area for a snow patch to plant your feet. There’s one, you gently place your left foot on it, slide the jumar, take a step, find another patch, slide the jumar, take a step. Your breathing picks up as the exercise leaves a mark. You pull on the rope, hoping a guide doesn’t see you. Take a step, move higher, then….you top out. You are at the top of the rock buttress. Pausing, you bend over, hands on your down-covered knees, your yellow 8000-meter boots a sharp contrast to the translucent snow.
The boot path, now your friend leads higher, but it feels like a sidewalk, flat, even, and straight. Your pace picks up, knowing food, water, and rest are minutes away. Another step, and then it comes into view, another tiny village of yellow, green, and red tents. The constant winds keep the area mostly free of snow; only large flat rock plates dot the area. It’s buzzing with activity. Sherpas mingling, people looking for a large rock to hide behind to use their wag bag, before leaving for the summit. Smiling, you wave at one of the Sherpas on your team. “Namaste, welcome to the South Col, or as we call it, the death zone.”
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Death Total–Ten across the Himalayas
1, 2. April 8–Annapurna: Rinje Sherpa and Ngima Tashi Sherpa, avalanche on Annapurna while working for Seven Summits Treks.
3. April 26–Ama Dablam: Austrian Martin Hornegger, 64, died descending Ama Dablam after summit.
4. May 12–Kanchenjunga: French climber Margareta Morin, 63, died ascending Kanchenjunga, climbing with Peak 15 Adventure.
5. May 5–Makalu: American Alexander (Alex) Pancoe, 39, died at Camp 2, climbing with Madison Mountaineering.
Everest–Five Deaths
1 April 2–Nepali Lanima Sherpa, 55, reportedly died due to high altitude sickness at EBC with an unidentified expedition operator.
2. Early May, Ngima Dorji Sherpa died at EBC from reportedly a brain hemorrhage. He worked for Seven Summits Treks.
3 May 4–Pen Chhiri Sherpa reportedly had a heart attack at Camp I while working for TAG Nepal.
4. May 15–Filipino Philipp II Santiago, 45, reportedly died of unknown causes at C4 on his Everest ascent with Snowy Horizon.
5. May 16, 2025, West Bengal, Indian, Subrata Ghosh, 45, died near the Hillary Step after summiting with Snowy Horizon.
Nepal Permit Update
Across Nepal’s climbing peaks, through April 25, 2025, the Ministry of Tourism collected USD 5.2 million in royalties, with Everest accounting for USD 4.6 million. Thus far, 1,025 permits have been issued for 26 mountains this spring, with climbers from the US topping the nationality list at 151, followed by India at 124. This is the 2025 tally for the 8000ers with the latest for Everest only as the Nepal Government has not made the others public:
| 8000er | Teams | Male Clients | Female Clients | Total |
| Annapurna I | 6 | 49 | 17 | 66 |
| Cho Oyu | – | – | – | – |
| Dhaulagiri | 2 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| Everest | 45+ | 354+ | 76+ | 446 |
| Kanchenjunga | 4 | 26 | 15 | 41 |
| Lhotse | 9 | 85 | 22 | 107 |
| Makalu | 7 | 60 | 17 | 77 |
| Manaslu | – | – | – | – |
| TOTALS | 71++ | 582++ | 151++ | 1025 |
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
An email notification is sent to everyone on the mailing list for each new post. If you’d like to see something special this year, please post a comment or send me an email.
Here’s the Podcast of this Weekend Update
The Podcast on alanarnette.com
You can listen to #everest2025 podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 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 May 11–Summit, Summits and more Summits
- Everest 2025: Lhotse Summits, Everest Soon & Anticipation
- Everest 2025: Managing the Crowds for a “Summit Weekend”
- Everest 2025: Pumori Avalanche, Makalu Death
- Everest 2025: Weekend Update May 4–Waiting on the Ropes
- Everest 2025: Climbers to Watch and a Death on Ama Dablam
- Everest 2025: Weekend Update May 4–On the Move!
- Everest 2025: Climbers to Watch and a Death on Ama Dablam
- Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 27–On the Move!
- Everest 2025: Remembering The Day Nepal Shook–10 Years Later
- Everest 2025: When Will They Summit?
- Everest 2025: Weekend Update April 20–Base Camp Sprawl
- Everest 2025: April 18, A Day to Remember
- Annapurna 2025: Podcast with John Black on Sherpa Deaths
- 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
Background
- 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 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% go to them and never to me.
- Ida Arnette 1926-2009
What Makes Summit Coach Unique?
At Summit Coach, we emphasize the entire preparation process for your climb beyond physical training. We begin with fitness, skills, and experience, then incorporate the mental and emotional tools necessary for a successful climb. Your teammates are welcome to join you at a discount, and we encourage your family to participate in your engagement so they understand what to expect during your climb. We strive to be affordable and provide our services at fair prices. Please visit the Summit Coach website for information on prices and offerings.
8 thoughts on “Everest 2025: Weekend Update May 11–Summit, Summits and more Summits”
Alan, so what are the lucky numbers all about
Great job what you do, devoted follower
Thanks Jimmy! No idea if the numbers are lucky or not. It is a fortune cookie a friend had and I stole from him!
Hi Alan! Been a long time reader of your blog for many years. Is there anything more about Andrew Irvine on the north side?
Thanks Kate!! I am not aware of any additional details, except that DNA testing is underway to confirm that the boot/foot belongs to Sandy.
Alan : you are The Best ! As an “ armchair Everest enthusiast”, so appreciate You & all that you do . Love your candor, your wisdom & years of mountaineering experience & guiding . Thank you
I appreciate this very much, Sandi. Very kind of you.
Alan, sorry but I must ask, what are the lucky 6 numbers referenced , I’ve missed something
Great publications
No idea, it is a fortune cookie a friend had and I stole from him! 🙂
Comments are closed.