Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Cool's 20th Everest Ascent, 274-Summit Record Sparks Limit Calls

5/25/2026

50 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Kenton Cool Summits

British guide Kenton Cool reached Everest’s summit on Friday, marking his 20th ascent and breaking the non-Sherpa record.
274 climbers set a single-day summit record on Wednesday via the southern face.
Veteran guide Kami Rita Sherpa called for limits on climber numbers, citing crowding concerns.
Nepal issued permits to 494 climbers and the same number of Sherpa guides at a $15,000 fee while China kept the northern route closed.

Summary

Cool Summits Everest

Two Indian climbers died descending Everest after summiting on Thursday, raising the season’s death toll to five.
Officials are working to retrieve the bodies from the summit.
Climber Cool reached the summit with Sherpa guide Dorjee Gyelzen, highlighting the role of Nepali guides.
Despite a 1996 accident that broke both heels and doctors’ warnings, Sherpa guide Lukas Furtenbach called climber Cool’s ascent just another walk in the hills.

Summary

Kenton Cool Cleanup

Environmental NGOs warn waste and pollution on Everest threaten its fragile ecosystem.
Nepal introduced new rules and a cleanup campaign to cut summit-route garbage.
The regulations require expedition teams to remove all equipment and trash before descending.
The climbing season provides substantial income to local hotels, guides and other businesses.
Kenton Cool’s 20th summit is cited by youth groups as a model of responsible climbing.

History

Historical Context

The May 1996 Mount Everest climbing disaster, in which eight climbers—including three Indo-Tibetan Border Police members on the North Ridge and five from commercial South-Side teams—perished in a sudden storm, revived safety concerns that first emerged after earlier avalanches killed six French climbers in 1974 and six Sherpas in 1970. The disaster remains a reference point for mountaineering safety policies.

1 of 4

Kenton Cool Summits

British guide Kenton Cool reached Everest’s summit on Friday, marking his 20th ascent and breaking the non-Sherpa record.
274 climbers set a single-day summit record on Wednesday via the southern face.
Veteran guide Kami Rita Sherpa called for limits on climber numbers, citing crowding concerns.
Nepal issued permits to 494 climbers and the same number of Sherpa guides at a $15,000 fee while China kept the northern route closed.

1 / 4