A total of 274 climbers managed to climb Mount Everest on Wednesday, the highest number to reach the summit from the south side of the mountain in one day, said a Nepalese climbing official.
That's almost 50 more than the previous record of 223 set on May 22, 2019, although the overall number was higher on that day because several climbers reached the summit from the north side of the mountain in Tibet.
According to reports, China did not issue permits for climbing the north side this year.
Rishi Bhandari, secretary-general of the Nepal Expedition Operators Association, confirmed the figure to CNN, citing good weather conditions and the large number of climbers waiting to climb the 8,848-meter (29,029 feet) peak as supporting factors.
Strong winds are expected this weekend, Bhandari said, quoted by CNN (21/5).
The density of climbers has been a growing problem on Everest for years, with a famous 2019 photo taken by climber Nirmal Purja showing a long line of climbers huddled on an open ridge waiting to reach the summit.
He told CNN at the time that there were about 320 people in line to the summit in an area known as the "death zone."
The world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, has a crucial window of time in the spring for climbers hoping to reach the summit, usually occurring in mid to late May. Strong winter winds subside during this time, allowing climbers to more freely reach the summit.
This year, the annual spring climbing season began after a blockage of the path to the summit caused disruption for hundreds of hopeful climbers.
Glacial ice blocking the climbing route left the climbers trapped at Base Camp while specialized workers at altitude known as "ice avalanche doctors" worked for weeks to remove large ice blocks known as seracs.
The route was finally opened on May 13, but the delay sparked concerns about overcrowding on the mountain, with many climbers and less time for them to reach the summit.
It is known that Nepal has issued nearly 500 permits to climb the mountain this year.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
