By Alan Arnette8 min read

Everest 2026: May 17 Weekend Update – Climbers to the Summit

May 17 Update
With the ropes to Everest and, now, Lhotse in place, there were multiple summits, including records on Sunday morning, May 17, 2026. With the weather improving, the route in, team after team has left base camp to be in position for their summit. While the major impact of the jet stream has passed, fragments could still create bitter windchill and frostbite, so climbers will need to be prepared to bail if the jet stream suddenly returns.
 
The Everest summits for the season total is around 86, with 54 Sherpas and 32 clients.  The ratio is skewed by the large rope team, entirely comprised of Sherpas. Nepal has issued 492 Everest permits, surpassing the 2024 record of 479. There is climbing on the Tibet side of Everest.

Big Picture

Leading clients from 14K Peaks, Kami Rita Sherpa, 55, summited for a record 32nd time Sunday, while Lhakpa Sherpa, 52. climbing with Seven Summits Treks (SST), broke her own women’s record with an 11th summit. Climbing with no O’s, Kristin Harila summited Nuptse (7,861 m). Now she moves to Everest and Lhotse.  She climbed with Mingtemba Sherpa.

Asian Trekking also summited Nuptse, a rare feat:

Asian Trekking warmly congratulates all climbers and team members on today’s successful summit of Nuptse (7,855 m). This achievement was made possible through close cooperation between Asian Trekking and Seven Summit Treks, who worked together to fix the route on Nuptse. The three rope fixers who opened the way to the summit today were Ming Temba Sherpa from SST, Wangja Bhote and Sukra Tamang from Asian Trekking.
 
Also summiting today were Tenzing David Sherpa, Director of Asian Trekking, and husband-and-wife climbers Chen Tao “Qiangzi” and Chang Huan, supported by Thilen Bhote and Tenjing Bhote. Kristin Harila, climbing with SST, also summited today without the use of supplemental oxygen. This summit is a proud milestone for Chinese mountaineering, with Qiangzi and Chang Huan becoming the first Chinese climbers to summit Nuptse. This also completes Qiangzi’s triple crown achievement of summiting all three peaks: Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse.

Other summits on Sunday included:

  • 14 Peaks – 2 clients with 3 sheraps
  • Seven Summits Treks – two Sherpas leading two clients
  • 8K – 16 – 8 members with 8 Sherpas.
  • Seven Summits Treks’ massive all-Chinese team with 14 members, supported by 18 Sherpas for 31 people

SST said they have 180 climbers (members and support) still to make their attempts.

On May 13, a large rope team of 23 Sherpas, comprising 3 from Imagine Nepal, 9 from 8K Expeditions and 11 from the Expedition Operators Association, reached the summit. On the same day, Imagine Nepal saw the first commercial client summits of the season, with 6 clients and 7 Sherpas.

Today, May 17, another 31 Sherpas and 26 clients summited, bringing the season total to around 86 – 54 Sherpas with 32 clients

More to Come

One of the Climbing the Seven Summits sub-teams is already at Camp 3, suggesting a summit push early next week. Ascent Himalaya is targeting May 20th. Arnold Coster, Seven Summits Treks, Elite, and more teams have also left EBC. Meanwhile, marquee teams like Madison Mountaineering,  Adventure Consultants, and 8K are staying in EBC to let the crowds come and go; a smart decision.

I spoke with Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering about their schedule:

Hi Alan, greetings from base camp! We start late in Nepal anyway (mid-April), so waiting a little longer is easy for us. We’re targeting the 25th, hopefully we have it all to ourselves !!

This is a representative post from Ben Jones, one of the most experienced Western guides on Everest and leading the Alpine Ascents International (AAI) team:

Yesterday, we reached Camp 2 under perfect conditions and zero crowds. Usually, there is a bit of a technical section leaving Camp 1 for Camp 2, but not this year; it is actually a pretty easy hike out of C1 into the Western CWM. Memories can fade, but mine are pretty good, and I can’t remember the icefall and route to C2 ever in better condition in the last 15 years.

The team made good time. It can be very hot in the CWM sometimes, but we were blessed with a slight breeze to keep the heat down. After a long rest, we woke to beautiful, clear skies at C2, and after breakfast, we went on a short hike toward the base of the Lhotse Face. Another day of no crowds and perfect weather.

We also heard great news: the fixing team reached the summit of Everest this morning, and we are thankful for all their hard work in making this happen and opening the route for teams to start summiting! Things are going well here!

The Icefall has returned to its usual dangerous conditions, so speed is still the climber’s friend. The Lhotse Face seems to be in its normal challenging state. If it hadn’t been for the Icefall Doctors hesitating to set the route in, 2026 would be a more or less normal year. But with all the delays, around 800 people are trying to summit until the monsoon comes in or the Icefall Doctors remove the ladders in the Icefall, so they have around 13 days, which, if teams are spread out, should be manageable.

Kenton Cool is aiming for his 20th, a non-Sherpa record. And we still have our no-Os and speed climbers: Karl Eglof, Tyler Andrews, Kristin Harila, Justin Sackett, and Reid Tileston. Also, there’s Bartek Ziemski, who will go to Everest after summitting Lhotse alone and with no ropes above high camp, and then skied down. Tim Howell was planning to paraglide from Lhotse but was bitten by a venomous snake back home days before he was to leave, so the flight was canceled.

Will the Jet stay away?

Meteorologist Chris Tomer of Tomer Weather Solutions told me on Friday, May 15, 2026:

“Full jet stream influence through 5/17. Partial jet 5/18.5/19-5/23 still has small jet fragments that will keep the summit gusts erratic at times, and the risk of frostbite is high if there are traffic jams. The jet doesn’t completely go away until on/after 5/23.”

Chris added today, May 17:

I have a client who is very eager to summit at C4 currently.  He just texted, “Sustained wind at 30mph…I’ve got 4 kids, too risky, will retry 5/24.”  This fits with the data I’m seeing, and the forecast is on track. Anyone who summited today (5/17) had a wild ride, and I’m sure frostbite.

The good news is that no typhoons are currently forming in the Bay of Bengal!

Tibet Side Climbing

China closed its side of Everest, Cho Oyu and Shishapangma to foreign climbers for reasons unknown. However, there are Chinese climbers on the Tibet side, and as usual, we haven’t received any updates.

Other 8000ers – Summits

There were a few more summits by the Nepali operators of Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Makalu, with scores of summits over the past few weeks.
New news from Kangchenjunga, teams are in position to summit in a few days.
A team of 8 Sherpas from 14 Peaks Expedition fixed the route to the summit of Annapurna I on Friday, April 18, marking the first 8000er summit of this spring 2026 season. Two foreign climbers also summited after the Sherpas. Seven Summits Treks noted 10 people summited, 5 Sherpas with 5 clients. Elite Expeditions also claimed six clients summiting.
Teams summited Dhaulagiri, including Pioneer Adventure with 9 Sherpas and 8 clients. Imagine Nepal saw summits as well.
On Manaslu, Ukrainian Alexandr Moroz and Kyrgyz Mark Ablovacky summitted. They were the only climbers on the peak this season.
And on Makalu, Seven Summits Treks reports their 6 Sherpa rope team also summited, as did an 8-person team from 14 Peaks.  8K Expeditons saw more summits.

Next Week on Everest 

The largest pushes began on the 17th and, depending on the jet, will continue daily to the end of the season. Hold on, they are on for the ride of their life!

Denali Season Underway

International Mountain Guides and many other National Park Service-approved guides have begun their season. IMG reports in:

After a long day of climbing yesterday with all their gear, Team 1 is taking a well-deserved rest day at Ski Hill Camp! Tomorrow they’ll begin carrying to the 10,000 ft cache, the first of several they’ll use over the course of the climb for acclimatization and gear management.

Team 2 is getting ready to arrive in Alaska tomorrow morning! Today, guides spent the day making their last double checks and getting everything together to take an early flight tomorrow. We’ll see you soon, Team 2!

This year, 1,011 climbers are registered to attempt Denali, with 71 currently on the mountain as of mid-week. Additionally, 11 climbers are registered for Mt. Foraker, and five of them are on that mountain now.

Climbers have observed substantial snow accumulation over the past few weeks. On Monday, Base Camp received 2-3 feet of fresh snow and noted strong winds at higher elevations. Although weather-related delays occurred, Base Camp has become busier in recent days, and teams have started ascending the West Buttress. 

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. 

8000erTeams  Male ClientsFemale ClientsTotal
Annapurna I419827
Dhaulagiri4181230
Everest50387105492
Kanchenjunga4231336
Lhotse108535120
Makalu11512172
Manaslu1202
TOTALS84585194779

Here’s to a safe season for everyone on all the peaks.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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Everest 2026: May 17 Weekend Update - Summits!

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