{"id":49354,"date":"2026-05-13T17:49:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T23:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=49354"},"modified":"2026-05-13T18:57:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T00:57:55","slug":"everest-2026-ropes-reach-summit-time-to-wait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/13\/everest-2026-ropes-reach-summit-time-to-wait\/","title":{"rendered":"Everest 2026: Ropes Reach Summit, Time to Wait"},"content":{"rendered":"
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After weeks of delays, the rope fixers finally reached the summit of Everest with the fixed line. However, the jet stream is about to sit over the summit for the next few days, making any attempts dangerous, if not deadly. It turned out that there were members stationed at the South Col, hoping to draft off the fixers\u00a0and reach the summit\u20146 members did just that.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Rope Update<\/h2>\n
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An unusually large group of 12\u00a0Sherpas reached the summit at 10:25 am local time, marking the season\u2019s first ascent of the mountain.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

First Commercial Summits<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Now Wait<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Jetstream<\/a>
Jetstream on top of Everest on May 14, 2026. Courtesy of NetWeather.TV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Other 8000ers – Summits<\/h2>\n
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Polish alpinist Bartosz Kacper Ziemski became the first to summit Lhotse<\/strong>, the world\u2019s fourth-highest peak, this spring, completing a rare ski descent from the summit to Base Camp after a solo alpine-style ascent. According to Seven Summit Treks<\/a>, Ziemski climbed from Camp 4 to the summit on May 12, 2026, at 12:14 pm without Sherpa support and skied back to Base Camp by 5 pm.<\/div>\n
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A team of 8 Sherpas from 14 Peaks Expedition<\/a> fixed the route to the summit of Annapurna I<\/strong> 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<\/a> noted 10 people summited, 5 Sherpas with 5 clients. Elite Expeditions<\/a> also claimed six clients summiting.<\/div>\n
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Teams summited Dhaulagiri,<\/strong> including Pioneer Adventure<\/a> with 9 Sherpas and 8 clients. Imagine Nepal<\/a> saw summits as well.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On Manaslu<\/strong>, Ukrainian Alexandr Moroz<\/a> and Kyrgyz Mark Ablovacky<\/a> summitted. They were the only climbers on the peak this season.<\/div>\n
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And\u00a0on Makalu,<\/strong> Seven Summits Treks<\/a> reports their 6 Sherpa rope team also summited, as did an 8-person team from 14 Peaks.<\/a>\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Nepal Permit Update<\/h2>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
8000er<\/strong><\/td>\nTeams<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0 Male Clients<\/strong><\/td>\nFemale Clients<\/strong><\/td>\nTotal<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Annapurna I<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n27<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dhaulagiri<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Everest<\/td>\n50<\/td>\n387<\/td>\n105<\/td>\n492<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kanchenjunga<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lhotse<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n85<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n120<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Makalu<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n51<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n72<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Manaslu<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TOTALS<\/td>\n84<\/td>\n585<\/td>\n194<\/td>\n779<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Here\u2019s to a safe season for everyone on all the peaks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Climb On!
\nAlan
\nMemories are Everything<\/p>\n

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Death Total\u2014Five across the Himalaya\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Other 8000ers\u2014Two Deaths<\/h3>\n

May 10\u2014Makalu II<\/strong>, Czech climber, David Roub\u00edne<\/strong>k, 38, fell ill at high altitude and died while being assisted down from Camp III.<\/p>\n

May 10\u2014Makalu<\/strong>, American Shelley Johannesen<\/strong>, 59, was struck by an avalanche around 7,000 meters during her descent after summiting. Expedition Himalaya supported her.<\/p>\n

Everest\u2013Three<\/strong>\u00a0Deaths<\/strong><\/h3>\n

May 3, Lakpa Dendi Sherpa<\/strong>, 51, from Gudel village, died at about 5,200 meters on his way to Everest Base Camp.<\/p>\n

2. May 10\u2014Bijaya Ghimire Bishwakarma<\/strong><\/a>, 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<\/p>\n

3. May 11\u2014Phura Gyaljen Sherpa<\/strong>, 20, from Thame village, slipped and fell at around 7,000m on the Lhotse Face, just below Camp 3.<\/p>\n

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The Podcast on alanarnette.com<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n

You can listen to #everest2026 podcasts<\/strong>\u00a0on Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0Apple<\/a>, Breaker<\/a>, Pocket Casts<\/a>, Anchor<\/a>, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.<\/p>\n

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Previous Everest 2026 Season Coverage Posts<\/h2>\n