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100-Foot Serac Blocks Khumbu Icefall, Delays 2026 Summit Season

4/25/2026

23 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A 100-foot serac has blocked the Khumbu Icefall route, closing it as of April 24 2026.
Sherpa icefall doctors are assessing the unstable serac above Base Camp in Nepal.
The season’s 410 permits cost $15,000 each, include 98 Chinese climbers, and prompt guides to warn the delay could cause summit-season traffic jams.
Department of Tourism will send more Sherpa teams to evaluate the serac and may devise an alternate path.

History

Historical Context

On 25 April 2015 a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, triggering a Pumori avalanche that buried Everest Base Camp and killed 22 climbers. The disaster forced the Nepal Department of Tourism and the Expedition Operators’ Association to close the Khumbu Icefall for the rest of the season—the first spring shutdown in 41 years. The quake, the strongest since the 1934 Nepal–Bihar event, reshaped safety policies for future expeditions.

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Story summary

A 100-foot serac has blocked the Khumbu Icefall route, closing it as of April 24 2026.
Sherpa icefall doctors are assessing the unstable serac above Base Camp in Nepal.
The season’s 410 permits cost $15,000 each, include 98 Chinese climbers, and prompt guides to warn the delay could cause summit-season traffic jams.
Department of Tourism will send more Sherpa teams to evaluate the serac and may devise an alternate path.

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