After weeks of uncertainty surrounding the Khumbu Icefall, good news has arrived from the mountain. Ben Ayers of Everest Live reported in his April 28th dispatch that teams have successfully opened the route through the icefall and up to Camp 1, effectively signaling the start of the 2026 climbing season.
The route was pioneered by teams from AltaPro, Elite, and Imagine, with members of the SPCC and Speed Dawa helping finish the fixing work. Footage from the dispatch shows teams already staking out tent positions at Camp 1, a sight that has certainly lifted the mood considerably across base camp.
From here, the focus shifts to the high-altitude workers and Nepali expedition outfitters who will now push to establish Camp 1 and Camp 2 in the coming days. Simultaneously, rope fixing teams will depart Camp 2 and begin working their way up the higher mountain. Ayers expects more experienced climbers and record attempt teams to begin moving through the icefall within the next day or two for acclimatization rotations, while most clients will likely wait another four to five days before heading up.
The next major milestone everyone is watching is the first weather window of the season. Historically the jetstream retreats into Tibet around May 10th or 11th, bringing calm winds to the summit and opening the door for the first summits. Whether the full camp infrastructure will be in place by that point remains uncertain but teams are moving quickly.
On the permit front, the Department of Tourism had issued 410 Everest permits as of the most recent count, with the final number expected to land somewhere around 430 to 440 once all groups are accounted for. Lhotse climbers, who share the icefall and base camp, add another 60 to 70 people to the overall traffic picture. For daily updates from the mountain, make sure to check out Everest Live on YouTube.
