Rope Update
First Commercial Summits
It turned out that there were members stationed at the South Col, hoping to draft off the fixers and reach the summit. Imagine Nepal’s members, Norwegian climbers Hakon Andreas Hyttedalen, Hanne Nicole Briedis Hyttedalen and Canadian Charles Antoine Lanthire, along with Chinese climber Li Yitong, Hu Haina and Lui Haibo, reached the summit on Wednesday, shortly behind the rope-fixing team. Nepali guides Lakpa Tamang, Dawa Tenjing Sherpa, and Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa accompanied them.
Now Wait
It’s not the cold, it’s the wind. With winds at 50 mph/80 kph, the wind chill would be -87F/-66C. This is a screenshot from Netweather showing the jet sitting over Everest starting on May 14, 2206. The animation shows it weakening around midday on the 17th.
Other 8000ers – Summits
Nepal Permit Update
As of May 8, 2026, Nepal has issued 1,134 climbing permits to 135 teams across 30 peaks, bringing in $8.3 million US dollars in permit fees, with Everest accounting for $7.2 million. Everest climbers are from 55 countries. China has the most climbers at 109, followed by the U.S. at 76, India at 61 and the UK at 32. There are 101 female climbers on Everest this season. This is the current tally for the 8000ers.Â
| 8000er | Teams | Â Male Clients | Female Clients | Total |
| Annapurna I | 4 | 19 | 8 | 27 |
| Dhaulagiri | 4 | 18 | 12 | 30 |
| Everest | 50 | 387 | 105 | 492 |
| Kanchenjunga | 4 | 23 | 13 | 36 |
| Lhotse | 10 | 85 | 35 | 120 |
| Makalu | 11 | 51 | 21 | 72 |
| Manaslu | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTALS | 84 | 585 | 194 | 779 |
Here’s to a safe season for everyone on all the peaks.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
Death Total—Five across the HimalayaÂ
Other 8000ers—Two Deaths
May 10—Makalu II, Czech climber, David RoubÃnek, 38, fell ill at high altitude and died while being assisted down from Camp III.
May 10—Makalu, American Shelley Johannesen, 59, was struck by an avalanche around 7,000 meters during her descent after summiting. Expedition Himalaya supported her.
Everest–Three Deaths
May 3, Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, 51, from Gudel village, died at about 5,200 meters on his way to Everest Base Camp.
2. May 10—Bijaya Ghimire Bishwakarma, 35, the first Nepali Dalit climber to summit Mount Everest, died on Sunday while ascending from Base Camp to Camp. He worked for TAG Nepal
3. May 11—Phura Gyaljen Sherpa, 20, from Thame village, slipped and fell at around 7,000m on the Lhotse Face, just below Camp 3.
The Podcast on alanarnette.com
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Previous Everest 2026 Season Coverage Posts
- Everest 2026: Ropes Reach Summit, Time to Wait
- Everest 2026: May 10 Weekend Update – Ropes to South Col, Everest Death
- Everest 2026: May 3 Weekend Update – Climbing!
- Everest 2026: Route In – With Risks
- Everest 2026: April 27 Weekend Update – Icefall Route In?
- Everest 2026: April 19 Weekend Update – 8000er Summits
- Everest 2026: April 12 Weekend Update – The Khumbu is Alive!
- Everest 2026: Are Everest Climbers Being Poisoned?
- Everest 2026: Climber Rescue Alert
- Everest 2026: Climbers to Watch this Season
- Everest 2026: North Side Closed, New Rules in Effect: Everest 2026 Season Update
- Everest 2026: Icefall Doctors Launched
- Everest 2026: Rumor Fire Season
- Welcome to Everest 2026 Coverage – An overview of what to expect during the Spring 2026 climbing season
Background
- Everest by the Numbers: 2026 Edition – A deep dive into Everest statistics as compiled by the Himalayan Database
- Comparing the Routes of Everest: 2026 Edition – A detailed look at Everest’s routes, commercial, standard, and non-standard
- How Much Does it Cost to Climb Everest: 2026 Edition – My annual analysis of Everest climbing costs, from solo and unsupported to fully guided
