Everest summits smash records amid deadly bottlenecks

KATHMANDU: A record 885 people climbed Everest in May this year, figures showed on Tuesday, capping a deadly traffic-clogged season that also saw 11 climbers die on the world’s highest mountain.

The number smashed last year’s record of 807 summits despite a short weather window that resulted in fatal bottlenecks on the peak. Everest -- which straddles the border between Nepal and China -- saw 644 people summit from the south, authorities confirmed on Tuesday, 81 more than last year.

Another 241 reached the top from the northern flank in Tibet, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported, three fewer than last year. At least four of the deaths this season -- the deadliest since 2015 when massive earthquakes triggered avalanches that swept away climbers’ camps -- have been blamed on overcrowding.

A traffic jam forced teams to wait for hours in freezing temperatures to reach Everest’s 8,848-metre summit and then descend, increasing the risk of frostbite, altitude sickness and exhaustion from depleted oxygen levels.

Experts said too many of the new wave of mountaineer tourists were ill-prepared and inexperienced. Others have called for a cut in the number of climbing permits, or tougher standards for guides.