Everest 2026 – The Irish Update

Everest 2026 – The Irish Update

According to the Himalayan Database, Everest has been climbed 13,737 times since the first ascent by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The summit split is 9887 South (72% via Nepal) and 3850 North (28% via Tibet). Of the 13,737 summits to date, 48% were clients while 52% were guides. just 1.2% of summits were achieved without supplementary oxygen with 98.8% of those who reached the summit using bottled oxygen. The success rate for those attempting without oxygen is less than 5%. Last season saw 851 summits of Everest (731 via Nepal, 120 via Tibet) with 5 fatalities. This season is projected to break all records for permits and summits on the South side, helped by the fact that the Chinese have closed the North (Tibet) side to foreign climbers.

From an Irish perspective (North & South), Everest has been climbed 84 times by 65 Irish climbers (9 women, 56 men), with a total of 156 Irish attempts to date by 107 different climbers. A full list of all Irish climbers who climbed or attempted Everest can be found here. Climbing has a long and proud tradition as a cross-community activity in Ireland, and so we honour that tradition by including all climbs from North and South in our data and insights.

There are 10 Irish climbers attempting Everest this Spring, across five different expedition teams:

– Robert Smith (Tyrone)
– Andy Nolan (Cork)
– Philip Collins (Limerick)
– Diarmuid Morrissey (Westmeath)
– Sarah Armstrong (Armagh)
– Jason Black (Donegal)
– Adam Sweeney (Waterford)
– Padraig O’Hora (Mayo)
– Eanna McGowan (Dublin)
– Frank McCarthy (Kerry)

This is the largest number of Irish attempting Everest in a single season since 2007. Click below to view a brief bio on each of the 10 Irish climbers attempting Everest this Spring.

Everest Status (29th April):

The icefall was finally opened on 28th April, the latest point it has been opened in recent history. Here is where each of the Irish climbers are at the moment:

Robert Smith: The Adventure Consultants team which Rob leads began their expedition on 9th April and reached Everest Base Camp on 18th April. They then headed off to Lobuche and climbed Lobuche East (6119m) on 23rd April, sleeping at high camp for a night before and after the summit before returning to Everest Base Camp on 25th April to await news regarding the icefall. The team is currently at Everest Base Camp, adapted to the altitude equivalent of Camp 1 (6065m) on Everest and hiking above EBC to top up their adaptation as the icefall route opens ahead of them.

Andy Nolan, Philip Collins, Diarmuid Morrissey: The CTSS team which includes Andy, Philip and Diarmuid began their expedition on 1st April when they landed by helicopter in Lukla. They climbed Lobuche East (6119m) on 14th April as part of their adaptation, and arrived at Everest Base Camp on 16th April. After a period of waiting for progress on the icefall route, the team decided to head to Meru Peak on 25th April to climb the 6660m peak to bring their adaptation up to the level for Camps 1 (6065m) and Camp 2 (6500m) on Everest. They will shortly return to Everest Base Camp to plan their next phase.

Sarah Armstrong: The AGA Adventures team began their expedition on 8th April when they landed in Lukla on 8th April. Sarah reached Everest Base Camp on 14th April. The team then headed to Lobuche to summit Lobuche East (6119m) on 16th April. It was then back to Everest Base Camp via helicopter the following day on 17th April where the team has remained awaiting the opening of the icefall route ahead of them.

Jason Black, Adam Sweeney, Padraig O’Hora, Eanna McGowan: The team began their expedition on 3rd April when they landed in Lukla and they arrived in Everest Base Camp on 10th April. A couple of days after arriving into EBC the team was forced to drop back down to Dingboche when one of the team developed altitude sickness and reported low oxygen saturation (in 40’s). A couple of days to recover in Dingboche and the team returned via helicopter to Base Camp. The icefall delay caused a change in plan, with a trip to Lobuche to summit Lobuche East (6119m) on 20th April before returning to Everest Base Camp next day. A few days later the team dropped down the valley to stay in Namche while the icefall serac issue was being sorted. They are still in Namche and will likely be making their way back to Everest Base Camp in the next day or two.

Frank McCarthy: Frank began his journey on 26th April when he landed in Lukla. The plan was to take a helicopter to Namche, however bad weather intervened and he had to trek some of that route instead. He is currently en-route to Everest Base Camp where Madison Mountaineering will be working a plan for their rapid ascent itinerary (here) in light of the delays caused by the icefall serac.

Lhotse Status (29th April):

Cal McDonagh (26) began his expedition on 10th April when he flew by helicopter to Lukla. He reached Everest Base Camp by 20th April, to join the wider Summit Climb ‘Everest & Lhotse’ team. During the time at EBC he hiked up to Pumori ABC (5800m) and the team then headed off to Lobuche on 24th April to climb Lobuche East (6119m) and are now back at Everest Base Camp.

James McManus (43) began his expedition on 18th April and arrived to Everest Base Camp on 27th April. Following the announcement of the opening of the icefall on 28th April, James announced that he is planning his first rotation to Camp 2 and back to EBC starting tomorrow night 30th April.

Icefall Serac – Q&A

Is the icefall now open?
Yes, officially opened on 28th April. A joint team of mountain guides from the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal (EOAN) and icefall doctors from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) reached Camp 1 on Tuesday morning and pushed on to Camp 2. According to a press release from SPCC, the route established passes below the hanging serac.

“The serac has multiple cracks and may collapse at any time” the SPCC wrote in its release.

They concluded with the following… “Given the circumstances and the limited time remaining before the climbing season, the team had no alternative but to open the route passing below the serac.”

Has the danger gone?
Definitely not. The icefall route was not blocked or impeded. The threat comes from a hanging serac (180ft wide, 90ft tall) above a section of the icefall route, which saw a partial collapse recently but approx 60% of the serac is still waiting to fall. According to a press release from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), the group that oversees the rope-fixing team in the icefall, the route now established passes below this hanging serac. If it were to collapse while people were in that section of the icefall, it would likely be a deadly situation. So the message seems to be that there is a route, but it comes with a heck of a caveat!

Has this caused delay?
Yes. Looking back at data from the past 15 years of Everest climbs (combining Himalayan Database summit data and icefall open dates compiled by Alan Arnette), we can see that this year is the latest by a country mile that the icefall has opened. Typically the route would have been in place in early April and teams would have now completed their first journey to Camp 1 and back thru the icefall. In absolute terms, overall progress above EBC is a week late compared to other seasons, and that matters when the goal (summit window) is something of an immovable object. See below assessment of icefall opening dates versus first summits for the past 15 years.

Has this happened before?
Yes. A large hanging serac above the icefall caused similar problems during the 2019 Autumn Season and that season was eventually abandoned with the serac collapsing at some point before the Spring 2020 season began. In Spring 2014 the Everest season came to an abrupt and shocking halt on 18th April 2014 when 16 mountain workers were killed by a serac collapse as they were ferrying materials and supplies across the icefall to C1 and above. It was the biggest disaster in the history of Everest at the time and both the event and the response from government is woven deep into the psyche of the Sherpa community (we were there for that one). In 2023 a collapsing ice tower in the icefall killed three mountain workers. The icefall is dangerous at the best of times, but much more so this season with a known and sizable danger looming over part of the route.

What happens next?
SPCC issued a statement today to present their view on the proposed route so that everyone knows what they are getting into here and to outline guidelines for moving through the proposed route. It is impossible to predict when the entire serac (60% remains hanging) will collapse, so this will be a season where teams have to accept a known risk in one of the most dangerous parts of the climb, and make a judgement on how they wish (or don’t wish) to proceed. Those who shoulder the vast majority of that risk are the mountain workers (Sherpa/Porters) who ferry materials to build/stock the camps, and who travel through the icefall many times more than clients do. Expect some clients to start moving through the icefall in the coming days, and expect some expedition companies to pause and see if the serac collapses and clears, and make a decision later rather than sooner. I would not be surprised if some expedition companies assess the risk and decide to stand down their expedition.

How many people are waiting?
There are 425 Everest clients across 42 teams plus their guides/sherpa plus all the mountain workers who ferry materials and set up camps, plus another 153 clients for Lhotse and Nuptse who share the route and camps up to Camp 3, plus their guides/sherpa too – So that’s at least 1200 people – all waiting to move thru the icefall as soon as possible! With the North side of the mountain closed this year, there is a record number of climbers on the South side, which complicates the logistics further. Furthermore, the guidance offered by SPCC limits numbers on ladders in certain areas and advises moving quickly through specific danger zones, which is easier said than done on your first trip through the icefall, which is usually dogged and exhausting. Managing stagger and quick movement to avoid too many stood in the danger zone at any point in time, is going to be challenging.

Can climbers push for the summit?
No. The rope-fixing team has completed their fixed ropes to Camp 2. They will then have to push on to rope the route to Camp 3, Camp 4 and then on to the summit whenever a weather window allows in early May. Only then will others be able to follow that fixed and roped route to the summit. With a good wind, it will likely be close to 10th May before ropes are set to the top and after that it is in the hands of the weather gods regarding the summit window thereafter.

When will summits happen?
That is dictated by a weather system called the jet stream which consumes the top of the mountain with strong winds for most of the year and moves away from the mountain for a short period in mid-to-late May to enable climbers to reach the summit in the Spring season. Most summits occur between 15th and 25th May. However before a climber is ‘ready’ for their summit push, they have to complete rotations up and down the mountain to adapt to progressively higher camps. Summit windows are not dictated by crowds or by the level of experience or inexperience on the mountain. It is entirely down to the weather. If climbers are fully adapted and ready when the weather window arrives, then they have a shot at a summit push. If not, then they will not. The window can be as wide as two weeks and as narrow as 48 hours. There is no way to know. In 2012 and 2019 the window was very narrow and led to long lines of people in the icefall and up high. Other seasons enjoyed very wide windows where some climbers had the summit to themselves and little or no long lines.

What are rotations?
Everest is climbed by making incrimental progress on multiple trips from EBC to higher camps and back to EBC to rest and recover before heading further up each time. Each rotation goes through the icefall. Rotation 1 typically takes you to Camp 1 to sleep, and then on to Camp 2, and then back to Base Camp. The primary purpose of that initial rotation is to get you used to the terrain in the icefall. The first time you move thru the icefall you will be slow and guarded, but all subsequent trips thru the icefall need to be much faster because the destination is much further away. Rotation 2 typically takes you past Camp 1 to sleep and rest day at Camp 2, then on to Camp 3 to sleep on supplementary oxygen for the first time, then back to Camp 2 and then back to EBC – all over 4/5 days. At this stage you have sufficient adaptation to attempt a summit push. Each rotation is followed by 2-3 days of rest and recovery at EBC, and the period prior to the summit push typically includes much longer rest where climbers descend down the valley to recover ahead of the big summit push. These rotations typically start around 20-25th April and finish around 10th May. This year all have to happen in May due to the delay, which is why many teams have gone elsewhere to climb Meru or other peaks to maintain form and altitude in lieu of initial rotations to Camps 1 and 2 on Everest, which they may not have time to include now. Plans will have to be redrawn and in many cases expect initial rotation plans to be scrapped in favour of a bigger single rotation ahead of summit push. Those who chose to climb higher elsewhere in recent days will be on the front foot now.

Will there be queues?
Yes. There will be queues in the icefall on the lower end due in part to the sheer numbers flowing through and due in part to the restrictions that will apply to parts of the route due to the serac danger. Barring a very long summit window, there will also be long lines on the Lhotse face, on the Hillary Step and other sections of the upper mountain too. The summit window doesn’t move to accommodate delays, so the lost time will have to be made up now and will be done with the largest crowd ever assembled to climb Everest. Some teams will want to move quickly and shadow the rope fixing team to the top, so they can summit early. On a normal year, there are always one or two small teams shadowing the rope fixing team, but this year they might turn around and, like Forrest Gump on his walk across America, find a mega crowed of people behind them. Others will choose to wait it out (Madison, CTSS potentially), let the crowds roll through and then try to make a push later in May with the added benefit that the serac may have cleared by then too. Both approaches come with risk. If you go early you will be in queues with long waiting times, and if that happens in the icefall it could be deadly. If you go late you might run out of time and the summit window might expire. The logistical strength of your expedition company comes into its own in these instances, which is why it is critical to have chosen wisely in terms of who you climb with. Having the right intel, weather information, experience on the mountain, experience in dealing with the crowding, and understanding of the dynamics going on this year, will all feed into who succeeds and who does not.

Conclusions
The icefall is open, but the danger remains. The SPCC statement yesterday included the following… “Given the circumstances and the limited time remaining before the climbing season, the team had no alternative but to open the route passing below the serac.” This indicates that commercial pressures are driving decision making. My objectivity on this topic is somewhat compromised by having sat at Everest Base Camp in the hours, days and week after the 2014 icefall disaster watching, listening to and experiencing the post-mortem of that years catastrophe, where the wider mountaineering community pledged that every effort would be made from now on to reduce the risk experienced by porters and others in the icefall. In that context, it is hard to imagine that 1200 people will be permitted to travel under a collapsing 180ft x 90ft serac in one of the most dangerous parts of the entire climb. It is hard to contemplate how the guidelines provided by SPCC in travelling fast through that area aligns with the lived experience of most clients sluggishly pushing through the icefall on their first rotation. It is also difficult to understand how teams will complete their full suite of planned rotations in the time remaining unless they have already bolted to other peaks to do alternate climbs in lieu of lost rotations. There are lots of unanswered questions, but what is not unclear is the fact that a massive hazard sits above part of the icefall route and every day we will be holding our breath until everyone is through safely that day. Making this all happen safely and efficiently will take military precision and a level of cooperation among expedition teams beyond anything that has existed previously. I will be keeping my fingers crossed, slightly aghast that things are progressing at all, but interested in seeing how known dangers are mitigated and managed. Judgement is the key word now!