KATHMANDU, APRIL 23 Nepal has crossed the Rs 1 billion mark in mountaineering royalties for the Spring 2026 season, with the Department of Tourism issuing climbing permits to 944 mountaineers from 76 countries across 30 peaks - a season already distinguished by record-breaking summits, extraordinary human stories and one of the most active opening weekends in recent memory, even as a hanging serac in the Khumbu Icefall continues to delay the opening of the Everest route. Updated permit data released as of April 23 shows total royalties of USD 6,912,321, equivalent to Rs 1,028,893,326. Everest alone accounts for 410 of the 944 permitted climbers across 41 teams - 313 male and 97 female - generating USD 5,982,041.76, nearly 87 percent of the season's total royalty income. More than 350 foreign climbers along with their support staff have already reached Everest Base Camp. Chinese mountaineers lead on Everest with 98 climbers, followed by the United States with 49, India with 46, the United Kingdom with 28 and Russia with 18. Germany has the largest European contingent across all peaks at 65 climbers, while Japan has 35 across all peaks. Nepal itself has 16 permitted climbers across all peaks, including 12 on Everest. This spring 2026, the north side of Mount Everest has not been opened for summiting by China. Beyond Everest, Lhotse (8,516m) has the second-highest climber count with 86 across seven teams generating USD 258,000, followed by Makalu I (8,463m) with 54 climbers and USD 159,330 in royalties. Dhaulagiri I (8,167m) has 30 climbers generating USD 90,000, Annapurna I (8,091m) has 27 climbers generating USD 81,000, and Kanchenjunga accounts for 34 climbers across two permit categories generating a combined USD 102,000. Among the technical peaks, Ama Dablam (6,814m) is the most sought-after non-eight-thousander with 92 climbers across eight teams generating USD 92,000, followed by Himlung Himal with 44 and Nuptse with 42. Icefall route still blocked Despite the season's strong start elsewhere, the Khumbu Icefall route to Camp II on Everest remains incomplete due to a hanging serac that has prevented icefall doctors from placing ladders along a critical section just below Camp I. Responsible for navigating the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, Icefall Doctors, mobilised by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), find the safest and most efficient route from Base Camp to Camp I. Using ropes, ladders and fixed lines, they create and maintain the path, regularly replacing old equipment and monitoring the icefall's condition to minimize risk to climbers. This year they had began began fixing the climbing route through the Khumbu Icefall on March 16. Tshering Tenzing Sherpa, base camp manager at the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), said icefall doctors visited the site on Wednesday and found that a small section had already collapsed, and that they hope the remaining serac will fall within a day or two. Once the situation stabilises, the route to Camp II could be opened within two to three days, he said.

In previous seasons the icefall route was typically open by the first week of April. This year, the unstable serac, combined with erratic snowfall and strong winds, has caused an unusual delay. The icefall doctors team is led by Ang Sarki Sherpa as chief leader and Dawa Jangbu Sherpa as team leader, with members Tendu Sherpa, Ngima Tenji Sherpa, Phura Chheten Sherpa, Dawa Chhirri Sherpa, Sonam Geljen Sherpa and Mingma Gyaljen Sherpa. The delay has raised concerns among expedition operators. Acclimatisation rotations above base camp cannot begin until the route to Camp II is open, and the Expedition Operators Association Nepal (EOAN) cannot begin fixing ropes from Camp II to the summit until thereafter. 'Delays in rope fixing cause significant losses to expeditions,' EOAN officials said, adding that the association is in discussion with the SPCC, Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Department of Tourism on the matter. Strong opening weekend The season got off to a strong start with successful ascents across three eight-thousanders between April 17 and 18. Annapurna (8,091m) saw multiple summits on April 18 alone, with teams from 14 Peaks Expedition, Seven Summit Treks and AltiPro Adventures all reaching the top. Elite Exped also summited Annapurna the same morning before founder Nirmal 'Nims' Purja recorded his 50th true ascent of an 8,000-metre peak on Dhaulagiri that afternoon - a world record. On Dhaulagiri, Imagine Nepal's nine-member team had already reached the summit on April 17 after battling ten days of storms, with Pioneer Adventures following the next day. Sanu Sherpa, part of the Pioneer Adventures team, brought his tally to 12 of the 14 eight-thousanders climbed three times, with only Cho Oyu and Shishapangma remaining. On Makalu, Seven Summit Treks' rope-fixing team opened the route on the evening of April 18. Rescue on Annapurna The opening weeks also saw a dramatic high-altitude rescue on Annapurna. Dawa Nurbu Sherpa, a climber from Makalu in Sankhuwasabha, went missing above 7,700m on April 19 after summiting the peak with Swiss IFMGA guide Richard Markus Bolt. Out of contact for over 48 hours, he was eventually located near Camp IV during an aerial search conducted by 8K Expeditions. Guide Ashok Lama was dropped at Camp III and climbed up to reach the stranded Sherpa, bringing him down to Camp III, from where he was airlifted by a Heli Everest helicopter piloted by Priya Adhikari to base camp and then to Pokhara for treatment. Dawa suffered only minor frostbite. Pemba Sherpa, Chairman of 8K Expeditions, said the rescue cost far exceeded the USD 10,000 maximum covered by insurance, with the remaining expenses borne by the company. He called for insurance coverage for Himalayan rescues to be revised upward to at least USD 30,000, warning that smaller expedition companies would lack the resources to mount similar operations. 'If this had been a small-scale expedition company, they would have no option but to leave the Sherpa up there to his fate. That is sad but true,' he said. Extraordinary stories Against the season's broader canvas, individual stories of human determination have also captured attention. On Mera Peak (6,470m), former Russian paratrooper Rustam Nabiev - who lost both legs in 2015 when a barracks collapsed - reached the summit at 6:35 AM on April 22. Nabiev, who summited Manaslu in 2021, is now preparing to attempt Everest this spring with Seven Summits Club - a bid that would rank among the most extraordinary achievements in Himalayan history. With Everest, Lhotse and Kanchenjunga expeditions currently in acclimatisation and the main summit window expected to open in May, Nepal's Spring 2026 season is building toward what could be one of its most remarkable in years.