Everest 2024: Season Summary – Everest at a Rubicon

Everest Alpineglow

Everest 2024 might be remembered for summits, politics, deaths, ignored rules, near misses and disturbing allegations of sexual misconduct. It’s difficult to put all this in a headline, but I believe the Everest guiding industry is at a Rubicon – a point of no return.

Not to be lost in this mix is the joy and satisfaction felt by hundreds of summiteers. They worked and trained diligently to celebrate standing on the top of the world for only a few minutes. It’s funny how you can work so long for a goal, and the moment is over in a blink, but the memory lasts a lifetime—well done to all who summited, to those who showed up.

Once again, the Sherpas proved they dominated the mountain with impressive altitude performance. The Himalayan Database shows that between 1950 and 2023, 6,097 Sherpas have summited Everest compared to 5,899 members, and that gap is growing each year. However, more foreigners have died than Sherpas, 197 compared to 118. #everest2024

Everest 2024: Last Summits of the Season and Another Death

The 2024 Everest season ended well for the Alpenglow group, but sadly, there was another death on the Nepal side. 2024 was a challenging year that may change the trajectory of climbing Everest, especially on the Nepal side. The Icefall Doctors are removing all the ladders in the Western Cwm and Khumbu Icefall, thus officially closing the season on that side. I’ll do my annual season summary in a few days. #everest2024

Everest 2024: More Summits and More Missing Climbers

Everest 2024 courtesy of Rajan-Dwivedi

Summits continue, but multiple climbers are missing near the Hillary Step after some sort of route collapse. Through May 22, Everest has seen 379 summits, compromising 214 Sherpas, or 56% and 165 members or 43%.  The largest summit days so far were May 19, with 100 summits, and May 21, with 104 summits. Nepal issued Everest permits to 414 foreigners. Perhaps another 60 to 100 people may summit on May 23, and activity will quiet down quite a bit. #everest2024

Everest 2024: Summit Tsunamis and Puddles. An unconfirmed Death

Sherpas on the Lhotse Face

I used to call the weather windows “Summit Waves,” but they are more like Tsunamis with the occasional puddles this year. Usually, we see hundreds of summits each day, but this year, it can be as few as two people for the entire day. The summit winds continue to be fickle this spring. May 21, 2024, was a huge day for Everest summits, with an estimated 160 summits, and tomorrow may exceed it, with some estimates of over 300 climbers positioned at the South Col. One death was reported, but I have not been able to confirm it. #everest2024