Everest 2026: May 31 Weekend Update – Record Season Over & 1 More Death?

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This past week has had an “auspicious” day: the 73rd anniversary of Tenzing and Hillary’s Everest summit in 1953, along with Nepal’s annual Everest Day on May 29th, which included a few notable achievements and what I consider a mistake in client management.

First, The Tourism Times is reporting today, May 31, 2026, that “Dawa Sherpa – from Okhaldhunga – went missing on the evening of May 29, when his Polish client abandoned his summit bid after suffering from frostbite on the South Col. According to information from base camp, Dawa and the Polish climber decided to descend immediately. The Polish climber was ahead of Dawa and was following other climbers towards Camp II. Dawa was left alone near Camp III while other climbers descended to Camp II.” They were climbing with the Nepali guide company, Himalayan Traverse.

The big news was that Tyler Andrews set a speed record. There were two climbers attempting Fastest Known Time, FKT, records: Ecuadorian Karl Egloff, 44, and American Tyler Andrews, 35. Both intended to run without using supplemental oxygen. 

Last year, both record-seeking Everest runners turned back, primarily due to the windy conditions. Ecuadorian Karl Egloff, 44, stopped near Camp 3, while Tyler Andrews, 35, reached Camp 4 before stopping. They both returned in 2026 with mixed results. Karl’s goal was to climb without oxygen from Base Camp to the summit and back down. At the same time, Tyler took a trial run with oxygen, which raised questions about whether his second attempt was valid. The Himalayan Database ruled it was, even though they said Ryan Mitchell’s use of Os to treat his HAPE invalidated his no-Os attempt, which became a moot point since he left … however …

Tyler went on to break the record set by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa, who had set 10 hours and 56 minutes in 2003, shaving an hour and one minute off the mark. Andrews said he made the climb in 9 hours and 55 minutes, reaching the summit at about 5 a.m. Nepal time. He wanted to go sans Os, but with the blustery conditions, he did the smart move and used supplemental oxygen.

Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff, 45, aimed to ascend and descend without Os but turned back at an altitude of 7903 meters after 13:41 when his climbing partner, Nicolas Miranda, developed health problems.

• Karl’s Instagram
• Tyler’s Instagram

While Dan Mazur claimed his team “rescued an abandoned climber from the South Col, later reports suggest otherwise. Lithuanian Saulius Damulevicius was supposedly found alone in a tent at the South Col. There are conflicting media reports, but it seems he descended on his own.

Also, from the Summit Climb team, most members felt the conditions were not good enough for their push and returned to the Col or Camp 2. Three ended up staying and summiting, and three members with their Sherpas descended from the Col on May 26th. One member and a Sherpa stayed longer and summited on the 27th. Then on May 29, the final two climbers “opted out of hiking down through the Khumbu icefall, two of our foreign climbers and one of our climbing Sherpas are now in C2, waiting for helicopters.” This may have been a moot point because the Icefall Docs were supposed to remove the ladders on the 29th. It was hard for me to understand allowing a client with a Sherpa to stay above the Icefall, knowing it was closing.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything