Everest 2026 – The Irish Outlook
The Everest 2026 Spring season is underway with teams beginning their journey towards Everest Base Camp.
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.
This Spring we are aware of 9 Irish climbers attempting Everest across four different expedition teams. Their ages range from 22 to 60, they hail from 9 different counties across the island of Ireland and they include climbers attempting to become Ireland’s youngest and Ireland’s oldest to summit Everest and one attempting to complete a 10th summit of Everest.
– 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)
This is the largest number of Irish attempting Everest in a single season since 2007. We are also aware of two Irish climbers who are attempting Lhotse this Spring. Details further below.
Robert Kelso Smith (55) is originally from just outside Omagh in Co. Tyrone, now living in Fort William, Scotland. He is the Expedition Leader for Adventure Consultants on Everest this season and so is working on the mountain. Rob is attempting to complete his 10th summit of Everest and 15th summit of an 8000m peak having previously climbed Everest 9 times, K2 twice and summitted Lhotse, Manaslu and Cho Oyu. In total, Robert has climbed five of the fourteen 8000m peaks – the most of any Irish climber, and has significant climbing and guiding experience including 8000m peaks, Snow Leopards and extensive Antarctic climbing and polar expeditions to name but a few. His resume also includes 20 summits of Mt. Vinson, as well as climbs of Sidley (x2), Sporli (1st ascent), Shinn (5x), Tyree, Sublime Peak (x2), Branscomb Peak and other smaller peaks in Antarctica. He has also completed 7 ‘Last Degree’ expeditions to the South Pole!
Expedition Website:
www.adventureconsultants.com
Expedition Cost: $83k USD
Andy Nolan (46) is from Charleville in Co. Cork, now living in Limerick. He is an adjunct lecturer and PhD student at University of Limerick. He is climbing Everest with the US-based ‘Climbing the Seven Summits’ (CTSS) company, and is part of their Western Guided team. Andy has been climbing since 2018 and is attempting to complete the Seven Summits (Bass list). Everest will hopefully be his seventh and final summit in the series, having successfully climbed Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Aconcagua, Denali, Kosciuszko and Vinson. Throughout his Seven Summits, Andy has raised over €100,000 for charities including the Children’s Grief Centre, Irish Cancer Society and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice. For Everest, Andy is raising funds for Childrens Grief Centre in Limerick, with 100% of all funds raised going to the charity.
Expedition Website:
www.climbingthesevensummits.com
Fundraising Link:
idonate Link
Expedition Cost: $75k USD
Philip Collins (38) is from Abbeyfeale in Co. Limerick, and now living in Québec Canada where he works as an electronic engineer. He is climbing Everest with the US-based ‘Climbing the Seven Summits’ (CTSS) company, and is part of their Western Guided team. Philip has been climbing since 2016 and is attempting to complete the Seven Summits (Bass list). Everest will hopefully be his sixth summit in the series, having successfully climbed Kilimanjaro (2016), Elbrus (2017), Kosciuszko (2019), Denali (2022) and Aconcagua (2024). Philip was a client of Pat Falvey’s during the climbs of Kilimanjaro, Elbrus and Aconcagua, while the Denali expedition (2022) was via Alpine Ascents International. Phillip’s mentor for his Everest expedition is Pat Falvey who has been involved in his climbs since the start of his Seven Summits journey.
Expedition Website:
www.climbingthesevensummits.com
Expedition Cost: $75k USD
Diarmuid Morrissey (60) is from Athlone in Co. Westmeath, and divides his time between Athlone and Portugal. He is climbing Everest with the US-based ‘Climbing the Seven Summits’ (CTSS) company, and is part of their 1-1 Private Western Guided team. Former owner of Direct Medical in Athlone, he sold the company in 2017. He has a long association with Buccaneers RFC in Athlone. This is his third attempt at Everest having previously attempted it with Mountain Trip in 2021 (cancelled part-way due to Covid outbreak) and Furtenbach Adventures in 2022 (got sick at Camp 2). He is attempting to complete the Seven Summits (Bass list), and Everest would be his 7th and final summit of the series. He has climbed Kilimanjaro four times, Aconcagua twice, Elbrus, Kosciuszko, Vinson, Denali, Island Peak & Mera Peak. If successful this Spring, he would become the oldest Irish person and first Westmeath native to summit Everest.
Expedition Website:
www.climbingthesevensummits.com
Expedition Cost: $130k USD
Sarah Armstrong (31) is from Crossmaglen in Co. Armagh. She is climbing Everest with the UK-Nepal company ‘AGA Adventures’. Sarah owns and runs a dental practice in Newry and a gym in Crossmaglen. She played Gaelic Football and Camogie with Crossmaglen Rangers and played Netball for Newry, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, and captained the Irish team to the Youth World Cup. Sarah has been climbing since 2023 and is attempting to complete the Seven Summits (Messner List). So far she has climbed Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua and Carstensz Pyramid as well as completing climbs of Mt. Blanc, Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kazbek. She is also aiming to become the youngest Irish woman to complete the Seven Summits. Sarah is fundraising for the Southern Area Hospice in Newry, with 100% of funds going to the charity.
A brief note on AGA Adventures since that name will be new to many. It was formed in early 2023 by Adriana Brownlee and Gelje Sherpa. Adriana (25) is the youngest woman to climb K2 and youngest woman and first British woman to climb all 14 of the 8000m peaks. Her co-founder Gelje Sherpa has climbed all fourteen 8000m peaks and is the youngest person to summit K2 in Winter. This is AGA’s second season on Everest. Last season AGA had a single high profile client Mitch Hutchcraft, who swam the English Channel, cycled across Europe to India, then ran to Kathmandu, and hiked from there to Everest Basecamp to begin his climb, and then climbed Everest. It is the longest recorded ascent of Everest from sea to summit. Adriana’s father Tony is from Jordanstown, around 60 miles from Sarah’s home of Crossmaglen.
Expedition Website:
www.agaadventuresltd.com
Fundraising Link:
GoFundMe Link
Expedition Cost: No Data
Jason Black (55) is from Letterkenny in Co. Donegal. He owns and operates ‘Black Mountaineering’ and will be guiding three Irish clients (Adam, Padraig & Eanna) on Everest this Spring. Jason reached the summit of Everest via the North (Tibet) route in 2013, and in 2018 became only the third Irish person to summit K2, reaching the top shortly after Noel Hanna (Down) and shortly before Robert Smith (Tyrone) to make it an Ulster treble on one of the worlds most notorious mountains, climbing with Madison Mountaineering. In 2015 he climbed Kilimanjaro twice within 24 hours and in 2019 he took part in the ‘World’s toughest adventure race’ in Fiji. As well as Everest and K2, Jason has also climbed Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro & Elbrus and via his company he leads treks to Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, Toubkal, Island Peak, Ama Dablam and EBC, among others.
Black Mountaineering began offering trekking trips in 2022, initially to EBC and then branching out to Kilimanjaro, Mera Peak, Island Peak, Ama Dablam, Toubkal and Aconcagua. This is their 1st season on Everest and Jason’s first season on the South side (his climb in 2013 was on North side). Black Mountaineering utilises 8k Expeditions in Nepal who provide permits, camp infrastructure, food, group equipment, transport and Sherpa support, while Jason and his team are then responsible for decision-making on the route. This is similar to the structure used by Noel Hanna from Co. Down when he guided his Irish clients within the SST setup back in 2019.
Expedition Website:
www.blackmountaineering.com
Expedition Cost: €55k (~$64k USD)
Adam Sweeney (22) is from Dunmore East in Co. Waterford. He is a student and has deferred college for six months to prepare for Everest and his attempt to become the youngest Irish person to and first from Waterford to climb Everest. In 2020 he cycled around the coast of Ireland while also climbing the highest mountain in each county that he visited, climbing a total of 13,147 meters and cycling 1,689 km in the process. In 2024 Adam took on his first big peak, reaching the summit of Aconcagua in February 2024 with Earths Edge, and later that year he successfully climbed Island Peak and Ama Dablam with Black Mountaineering. He is a client within the Black Mountaineering team on Everest this Spring and has previously stated in interviews that he will be climbing with Pemba Sherpa who was his assigned Sherpa on Ama Dablam in 2024, and it would be his first 8000m peak attempt too. Adam has a personal gofundme which has raised over €5000 towards his expedition costs.
Personal Website:
www.irishadventurer.com
Expedition Cost: €55k (~$64k USD)
Padraig O’Hora (33) is from Ballina in Co. Mayo where he works as a liaison officer with Mayo Mental Health Association. He is a former Mayo inter-county footballer and has won Connacht SFC titles in 2020 and 2021 and National Football League title in 2023 with his native county. He retired from inter-county football in 2024 and began hiking and climbing later that year, reaching his first major summit in January 2025 on Aconcagua and climbing Gran Paradiso and Mt. Blanc later in 2025. He is a client within the Black Mountaineering team on Everest this Spring and has stated in recent interviews that he will be raising funds for Mayo Mental Health Association during the Everest climb – whenever there is a link to that fundraising, I will post it. He does have a personal idonate page which has raised almost €8000 towards his own expedition costs.
Personal Website:
www.padraigohora.com
Expedition Cost: €55k (~$64k USD)
Eanna McGowan is from Dublin, and currently lives in Switzerland. He works in sales and marketing for Johnson & Johnson in Zurich where he has lived since 2024. Eanna was due to climb Everest via the North side with Furtenbach Adventures, but in January 2026 he announced that his plans had changed following news that the Chinese authorities were set to close the North side to foreigners this season, and that he had switched to the South side and switched to the Black Mountaineering team. His past climbs include Kilimanjaro, Matterhorn, Aconcagua, Denali (attempted) and Mt. Blanc (attempted), and he has also completed the Marathon De Sables, Kerry Way Ultra and Ironman events. He is a client within the Black Mountaineering team on Everest this Spring, is fundraising for ISPCC and has set up a gofundme which has raised over €3000 to date with funds split 50/50 between the charity and his own expedition costs.
Personal Website:
www.eannaseverestjourney.com
Fundraising Link:
GoFundMe Link
Expedition Cost: €55k (~$64k USD)
Lhotse News
James McManus (43) from Tipperary is attempting to climb Lhotse (8516m) this Spring – 4th tallest mountain in the world, and to do so without supplementary oxygen. This is his fifth ‘No Os’ attempt on an 8000m peak, and his second attempt at Lhotse. Nobody from Ireland has ever reached the summit of Lhotse without supplementary oxygen. His previous attempts at 8000m peaks was as follows:
2025 Makalu (8485m): This was his fourth ‘No Os’ attempt with his personal guide Tshering Lama Sherpa. James climbed using the logistics and camp infrastructure of local Nepalese operator Seven Summit Treks (SST). He attempted an accelerated schedule (to summit within 30 days of arrival in Nepal) which had him attempting the summit push after one previous rotation up the mountain. On May 10th, James went for the summit, but had to turn around at 8,300m citing exhaustion & hallucination after 18 hours of ascent.
2024 Lhotse (8516m): This was his third ‘No Os’ attempt with his personal guide Tshering Lama Sherpa. James climbed using the logistics and camp infrastructure of local Nepalese operator Seven Summit Treks (SST). This was a rushed ‘Plan B’ climb after his original plan to climb Everest via the Tibet side was scuppered by frustrating Chinese bureaucracy which led to permits being issued very late. He then got ill during the accelerated ascent and turned back after Camp 2 having reached max altitude of 7700m.
2023 Dhaulagiri (8167m): This was his second ‘No Os’ attempt on an 8000m peak with his personal guide Tshering Lama Sherpa. James climbed using the logistics and camp infrastructure of local Nepalese operator Seven Summit Treks (SST). He reached max of 7500m and turned back due to mixture of high winds and deep snow.
2022 Everest (8848m): This was his first ‘No Os’ attempt with his personal guide (Tshering Lama Sherpa). James climbed using the logistics and camp infrastructure of local Nepalese operator Seven Summit Treks (SST). He turned back due to mixture of high winds and exhaustion. Reached max of 7850m. Was evacuated by helicopter from Base Camp to hospital in Kathmandu due to altitude sickness issues (HAPE/HACE). He made a full recovery.
Six Irish climbers have climbed 8000m peaks without supplementary oxygen: Eddie Cooper (Broad Peak), Gavin Bate (Cho Oyu), Domhnall O’Dochartaigh (Manaslu), Lynne Hanna (Manaslu), Noel Hanna (Manaslu) and Pat Falvey (Cho Oyu). It is no small or easy thing to return after multiple unsuccessful attempts at an 8000m peak summit. Hopefully this is the year James makes it happen.
Cal McDonagh (26) from Carlingford in Co. Louth is attempting to climb Lhotse (8516m) – the fourth tallest mountain in the world. This will be his first attempt to climb an 8000m peak, and if successful he will become the youngest Irish climber and first Louth native to summit Lhotse. The title of youngest Irish summit of Lhotse is currently held by Darragh O hAodha from Cork who completed an Everest-Lhotse double within 24 hours in May 2024 at the age of 30. Cal has previously climbed Ojos Del Salado (6893m) on the Argentina/Chile border, Mt. Parinacota (6330m) in Bolivia, Nevado Sajama (high camp 5750m) in Bolivia, Huayna Potosí (6088) in Bolivia as well as other peaks including Kilimanjaro, Toubkal and Fuji. He also motorcycled across South America in 2025.
Everest – Latest Insights
The author: Paul Devaney is a native of Longford, is co-founder of the Irish Seven Summits project and is an aerospace professional. He is an amateur mountaineer and has completed six of the Seven Summits and attempted Everest in 2014 and 2015. In both seasons his expedition was halted due to major incidents (Avalanche in 2014, Earthquake in 2015). Paul has climbed and trained in the Alps and completed climbs from Alaska to Antarctica and from Jordan to Ecuador. He currently lives in London with his wife Rima and twin daughters, and has been documenting Irish climbers on Everest & 8000m peaks since 2014.