The Mt Everest Summiteers’ Meet”, an international event for those who have reached the summit of Mt Everest, is all set for May 27th, 2025, in Kathmandu.
Sagarmatha or Mt Everest or Qomolangmais the name of the world’s highest mountain peak. Sagarmatha in Nepali literally means the sky touching head as Sagar means sky and Matha means head. The Tibetan name for Everest is Qomolangma which denote for the holy mother. Likewise, Mt. Everest is derived from the name of British Surveyor General George Everest (1790 -1866).
In the conference, the Everest Summiteers will share their inspiring journey stories, experiences of success, moments of struggle and lessons learned. Similarly, the voice of conservation has been given special priority in the conference. The event will feature presentations, panel discussions on climate change, and the honouring of Kanchha Sherpa “Lifetime Achievement Award” will be main part of the conference. Kanchha Sherpa is the last surviving member of the first successful expedition of Tenzning Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953. He carried climbing gear and other essentials for the expedition team.
Other activities of the conference include seminars on the challenges of climbing, women’s participation, climate crisis, safe technology and so on.
Himalayan cultural festival, tableaus reflecting painting and mountain lifestyle, photo exhibitions, and equipment exhibitions. Local handicrafts and traditional Himalayan materials from the Everest region will be put on display during the summit.
Approximately 500 climbers from various countries are expected to attend. Countries including India, China, the USA, Pakistan, Austria, Britain, Italy, Norway, Iran, Singapore, Australia, Lebanon, Morocco, the UAE are being represented in the Summit. Moreover, participation of more than 177 mountaineers from 16 countries has been confirmed so far.
International and national organizations such as ICIMOD, IUCN, WWF, ZSL and NTNC are extending their support for organising the summit, states the organisers.
Since 1953, approximately 7,269 different people have reached the summit of Mount Everest. These ascents have been made a total of 12,884 times, with some climbers summiting multiple times, including Sherpas and other members, who have a combined 4,620 summits.
Zunko Tabei of Japan in 1975 was the first woman scaled the highest peak while Pasang Lahmu Sherpa as first Nepali woman scaled Mt Everest in 1993.
Some climbers have scaled the world’s highest mountain peak multiple times, with 1,670 members and 2,003 Sherpas accounting for 4,620 total summits. For instance, Kami Rita Sherpa has summited 30 times including his latest ascent in 2014. Moreover, he is in a bid for 31 time of ascent in the ongoing season.
The first recorded efforts to reach Everest’s summit were made by British mountaineers. As Nepal did not allow foreigners to enter the country at the time, the British made several attempts on the North Ridge route from the Tibetan side. After the first reconnaissance expedition by the British in 1921 reached 7,000 m (22,966 ft) on the North Col, the 1922 expedition on its first summit attempt marked the first time a human had climbed above 8,000 m (26,247 ft) and it also pushed the North Ridge route up to 8,321 m (27,300 ft). On the 1924 expedition George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made a final summit attempt on 8 June but never returned, sparking debate as to whether they were the first to reach the top.
Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first documented ascent of Everest in 1953, using the Southeast Ridge route. The Chinese mountaineering team of Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua made the first reported ascent of the peak from the North Ridge on 25 May 1960.
In spring of 2025, the ongoing season, a total of 395 individuals have successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest during the ongoing spring climbing season as of May 20. Among them, 153 are climbers with official permits, 235 are Sherpa support staff, and 7 are from rope-fixing teams.
Everest Alliance Nepal, the organiser of the event says that the summit will serve as a launch pad for global awareness, amplifying the voice of the mountains. The organizing entity is a non-political, non-shareholding organization who aim to promote sustainability and resilience by encouraging unity and collaboration and empowering by focusing on innovation and expansions.
