KATHMANDU: A team of experienced mountaineering guides successfully reached the top of the world opening a climbing route to the summit of Mt Everest this afternoon.

Gyanendra Shrestha, a liaison officer at the Everest base camp, told THT that at least eight Nepali climbers successfully fixed the climbing ropes from the South Col to the summit point becoming the season’s first team to scale Mt Everest at around 1:45 pm.

The team had reached the balcony area yesterday fixing ropes from the South Col, he added.

According to Iswari Paudel, Managing Director at Himalayan Guides, highly experienced rope-fixing high-altitude climbers who stood atop Mt Everest include Siddhi Bahadur Tamang from Dolakha, Pasdawa Sherpa from Sankhuwasabha, Dorji Gyaljen Sherpa and Pasang Dawa Sherpa from Solukhumbu, Ang Phurba Sherpa, Dawa Nurbu Sherpa, Ming Dorchi Sherpa and Sangbu Bhote from Sankhuwasabha.

Tamang-led rope fixing team struggled for hours to reach the summit by placing ropes above the South Col, Shrestha added.

The Expedition Operators Association of Nepal has assigned Himalayan Guides to fix the route above Camp II this season while a team of icefall doctors assigned by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee opened the climbing route from the base camp to Camp II.

According to the Department of Tourism, over 378 climbers including 365 foreigners from 41 different teams have obtained climbing permits for Mt Everest this spring season.

With the opening of a climbing route, the long wait has finally been over for Mount Everest climbers, according to Paudel. “If the weather allows, the world climbers will begin their summit pushes on the roof of the world tomorrow morning,” he added.