A record number of climbers have scaled Mount Everest from the Nepalese side in a single day, marking the highest ever number of single-day summits in the history of Everest expeditions. Officials reported that 274 climbers reached the peak, while a spokesman for Nepal’s tourism department estimated the total at 275.
The climbers took advantage of clear weather on Wednesday to make their ascents. This surge followed a late start to the spring season, which had been delayed by the threat of ice fall on the normal tourist route, according to Rishi Ram Bhandari of the Expedition Operators Association Nepal.
Despite increasing congestion at the peak, Nepali authorities have sold a record number of climbing permits for the season.