By Alan Arnette5 min read

Everest 2026: The Western Team’s Turn, My Summit Anniversary

Alan on the summit of Everest May 21, 2011 5:00AM
After a Nepal-side record 274 summits on May 20, it’s time for the Western teams to take their turn. As we’ve discussed, the Nepali operators follow the rope team as quickly as possible to summit, while the foreign (i.e., Western) operators wait until the last possible weather window, which is now. On a personal note, this is the anniversary of my Everest summit, and I’m announcing my upcoming memoir: Hard or Impossible? Summitting K2 for Ida.
 
Climbing conditions today were reported to be calm – low winds, little moisture, so climbers were able to move quickly compared to the 12-hour summit pushes yesterday.

Yesterday’s record-setting summits on the Nepal side of 274 came with serious problems. I’ve received reports that it took 12 hours to climb from the South Col to the summit, almost twice as long as some people take; most take between eight and ten hours. And there were cases of frostbite and rescues that will never be made public. This from the Nepal Times:

“Climbers were summiting in great numbers from 3 AM in the morning to 2PM,” mountaineer Khim Lal Gautam told us on the phone from Base Camp “Due to the high numbers, there were some rescues and some developed snow blindness.”

Thursday Summits – 92+

Norwegian Kristin Harila summited Mount Lhotse, the second of her “Triple Crown” goal – Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest. She wanted to climb all three without supplemental oxygen, but used Os on Lhotse.

With 270 summits on Wednesday and 92 today, the season total is nearing 600.

More to Come

By my count, I’m predicting 800 total summit attempts, so with 600 completed, that leaves around 200 to go, maybe less. Look for more from: Climbing the Seven Summits, Madison Mountaineering and AAI. Kenton Cool goes tonight for his record 20th non-Sherpa summit.

A Personal Note

May 21 is the 15th anniversary of my Everest summit. Most of my regular readers know my story: three attempts –  2002, 2003 and 2008. Then I set a goal to climb the 7 Summits in one year in 2011, including reaching the summit of Everest.

On May 21, 2011, at 5:30 am, Kami and I stood on the summit together.

Alan with Kami and Lhapka Diti
Alan with Kami and Lhapka Diti in their home in Pangboche in 2016

Kami was born Ang Chhiring Sherpa and lives in the village of Pangboche. He has a beautiful view of Ama Dablam from the home where he and his wife, Lhapka Diti, raised their five children.

In 2011, at age 46, he had 12 Everest summits, K2, Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, and many other climbs under his belt. Kami was married and had four children. His oldest son was a monk in the nearby Thyangboche Monastery. His next son was also a guide for IMG at the time, and his other three children were in school in Kathmandu.

Climbing was literally in his family, as his father had also been an Everest guide. And soon I learned that Kami was the older brother of Ang Dorge, whom I had climbed on Everest with almost 10 years earlier. I was pleased to know that I was literally climbing with living history, a living legend.

Throughout my 6 weeks on Everest, Kami and I spent a lot of time together. We climbed Lobuche Peak together for acclimatization. We made the necessary trips through the icefall, clipped into the same fixed line. We shared stories of families, friends and climbing tales. We went on to summit K2 and Island Peak in later years.

Alan on the summit of Everest May 21, 2011 5:00AM
Alan on the summit of Everest, May 21, 2011, 5:30 AM

I have wonderful memories of climbing Everest, even of the “non-summit” times. I am forever grateful to Kami and the International Mountain Guides crew that made it possible: Greg Vernovage, Ang Jangbu, Eric Simonson and Phil Ershler.

My Memoir

I recently finished my memoir, Hard or Impossible? Summitting K2 for Ida, which takes readers through my K2 climb, the Alzheimer’s journey I took with my mom, Ida and my climb of the 7 Summits in one year and being on Everest during the 2015 earthquake. The manuscript is finished, and I’m shopping for a publisher. If you’d like a preview and to sign up for notifications when it’s published, please visit this page.

Hard or Impossible? Summiting K2 for Ida
Hard or Impossible? Summiting K2 for Ida

 

 

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 $10.7 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. 

8000erTeams  Male ClientsFemale ClientsTotal
Annapurna I419827
Dhaulagiri4181230
Everest51389105494
Kanchenjunga4231336
Lhotse149944143
Makalu11512172
Manaslu1202
TOTALS89601203804

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

The Podcast on alanarnette.com

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Previous Everest 2026 Season Coverage Posts

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