Expeditions Unlimited blog
The 2025 spring climbing season on Mount Everest saw record numbers, with 468 permits issued on the Nepalese side and 73 on the Tibetan side, resulting in a good success rate despite strong winds and somewhat unstable weather. Kami Rita Sherpa and Kenton Cool continued to make history. Nepal has announced an increase in permit fees for 2026 to improve safety and preservation. There are growing calls for greater selection of climbers, with stricter regulations on the Nepalese side. Meanwhile, an attempt at an ultra-fast ascent of Xenon was successfully completed by British soldiers. More accurate statistics will be available in the fall, providing a more detailed assessment of the season.
Objective Everest at 8,849 meters: building your mountaineering skills to prepare properly
Increased traffic on the Nepalese side of Everest
The spring season on Everest, traditionally centered between April and the end of May, followed its usual pattern in 2025. Expeditions began setting up camp at base camp in the first half of April. Visitor numbers quickly reached a historic high, with more than a thousand climbers, clients, and Sherpas present at the start of the season on the south face of Nepal, signaling a particularly busy year for climbing attempts.
A total of 541 climbing permits were issued, including 468 by the Nepalese government (compared to 421 last year) and 73 on the Tibetan side (compared to 150 last year). In detail, 48 Westerners decided to tackle the north face, compared to 25 Chinese, after visa and entry problems in China last year. This represents a ratio of almost 1 to 6 between the two sides, which is quite striking! Added to this is the same number of Sherpas and high-altitude guides, with an estimated ratio of nearly 1 to 1 for Nepal and 1 climber to 2 guides for Tibet.
A success rate close to 70% in decent weather
While the first weeks of April were relatively stable, periods of strong winds and unstable snow increased from the end of the month onwards, complicating climbing strategies. That said, the weather was generally favorable for many ascents, although climbers had to contend with relatively narrow weather windows, requiring rigorous tactical planning.
Strong winds were frequent at high altitudes, with an occasional jet stream creating gusts exceeding 130 km/h around the ridge line and temperatures reaching −50°C with the wind chill factor, requiring extreme caution.
In total, according to Alan Arnette's blog, the Nepalese side of Everest saw nearly 300 summiters this season, accompanied by 320 Nepalese guides. Out of 468 permits, this gives a success rate of around 64%, slightly higher than last year (61%). On the Tibetan side, our partner reports a guide-to-climber ratio of 1:2, with a success rate of 90%. These figures compare with 59% and 70% last year, respectively. So overall, the success rate on both sides is around 69%, which is exceptionally good.
Safety aspects and incidents
Five deaths were recorded during the 2025 climbing season, all on the south face of Everest. The first Sherpa died at the beginning of the season at base camp as a result of acute mountain sickness. Two others were evacuated from base camp and did not survive after being transferred to hospital. An experienced climber lost his life at the South Col, probably due to high-altitude cerebral edema while preparing for the summit.
Another died shortly after reaching the summit, in the Hillary Step area, probably due to extreme exhaustion exacerbated by the altitude and descent conditions. Finally, a fifth death occurred at Camp 1, following a heart attack.
Despite record numbers this season, the death toll remains lower than last year (eight deaths), a sign of better overall risk management. However, these incidents are a reminder of the ever-present dangers of extreme altitude, even in the absence of major accidents or extreme weather conditions.
Permit price increase and selectivity
One of the major topics of the season was the announcement by the Nepalese authorities of an increase in permit fees from $11,000 to $15,000 starting in the fall of 2025. This measure is intended to finance conservation efforts, better manage traffic flows, and improve safety on the mountain.
At the same time, many voices, particularly among the Sherpas, are calling for stricter selection of candidates to prevent risky behavior and ensure smoother traffic on the routes. The need to prove a minimum level of experience at high altitude, or to provide evidence of previous ascents of 6,000 or 7,000-meter peaks, is increasingly being discussed within Himalayan authorities.
It should be noted that this is already the case on the Tibetan side, where climbers must have climbed an 7,000-meter peak before attempting Everest via the north face (Aconcagua and Ama Dablam ar now accepted). On the Tibetan side, the quota for non-Chinese climbers is limited to 150 people.
World first with Xenon
Four former British soldiers reached the summit of Everest in less than a week after leaving London, thanks to a protocol combining hypoxic tents, oxygen, and, above all, a course of inhaled xenon before the expedition. They spent every night for the previous 12 weeks in hypoxic tents, for a total of between 700 and 1,000 hours.
Xenon is a rare gas that has been used for a century in anesthesia. It activates the production of erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells, and is thought to protect against certain harmful effects of high altitude, particularly on the brain and lungs.
However, at this stage, there appears to be no scientific evidence of the effectiveness of xenon at high altitude or its potential risks: the few studies, including tests on animals and athletes, have not demonstrated any clear improvements in performance or prevention of altitude sickness with this gas.
Some notable individual records
Kami Rita Sherpa, an iconic figure in the world of high-altitude mountaineering, reached the summit of Everest for the 31st time. A true living legend, he now holds the record for the most successful ascents of the world's highest mountain by a considerable margin.
Kenton Cool, a renowned British mountaineer, continued to make history as the non-Sherpa with the most Everest summits, with his 19th successful ascent.
Finally, it is worth noting the feat of Mitchell Hutchcraft, a former British soldier who, after traveling more than 11,000 kilometers by swimming, cycling, and walking across several continents, reached the highest peak in the world, completing an ultra-long-distance triathlon.