Record 274 climbers scale Mount Everest in a single day from Nepal
Among those who reached the top in the early hours of Wednesday were members of an Irish climbing team, including former Mayo footballer Pádraig O'Hora.
Mount Everest saw an unprecedented rush of climbers yesterday, with a record 274 people reaching the summit from the Nepali side in a single day — the most ever to stand atop the world’s highest mountain in 24 hours.
Rising 8,849 metres, Everest sits on the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region, and expeditions can approach the peak from either side.
- Advertisement -
But expedition operators said no climbers attempted the mountain from the Tibetan side this year after Chinese authorities did not issue permits.
Among those who reached the top in the early hours of Wednesday were members of an Irish climbing team, including former Mayo footballer Pádraig O’Hora.
Mount Everest Base Camp
Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, said the new mark surpassed the previous record of 223 ascents from the Nepali side, set on 22 May 2019.
“This is the highest number of climbers in a single day sofar,” Mr Bhandari told Reuters, adding that the total may still increase because some climbers who made the summit had not yet reported their success to base camp.
China has not released figures on how many climbers reach the peak, but Mr Bhandari said that in a typical April-to-May climbing season, about 100 people usually attempt Everest from the Tibetan side.
Department of Tourism official Himal Gautam said he had received preliminary information indicating that more than 250 people climbed the peak yesterday.
“We wait for climbers to return, give us photographs andother evidence to prove their ascents and provide them withclimbing certificates,” Mr Gautam told Reuters.
“Only then we will be able to confirm the numbers.”
Team Ireland celebrate their conquest of Everest. Credit: @adamtsweeney on Instagram
Nepal has issued 494 permits to climb Everest this year, each costing around €13,000.
Mountaineering experts have long criticised Nepal for allowing large numbers of climbers onto the mountain, warning that overcrowding can create dangerous traffic jams and lengthy queues in the so-called “deathzone” below the summit, where natural oxygen levels are far too low for humans to survive for long.
Nepal has acknowledged the dangers posed by congestion and inexperienced climbers and has responded with tighter controls and higher fees.
