Everest 2024 Season Ends with Record Summits and Milestone World Records

The 2024 Mount Everest climbing season concluded this week with a series of historic milestones, including a record number of successful ascents and two major world records. More than 600 climbers reached the 8,848-meter peak during an unusually stable weather window in May, marking one of the most successful seasons in the mountain’s history. Global Records and Milestones Kami Rita Sherpa, 54, extended his own world record by completing his 30th summit of the mountain on May 22. This feat follows his two successful ascents in the 2023 season. In the same week, Phunjo Lama set a new world record for the fastest female ascent of Everest. Lama reached the peak from Base Camp in 24 hours and 26 minutes, breaking the previous record of 25 hours and 50 minutes held since 2021. The Department of Tourism in Nepal issued 421 permits to foreign climbers for the 2024 spring season, generating approximately $4.7 million in permit fees. When accounting for Sherpa guides and support staff, the total number of individuals on the mountain exceeded 1,000. Expedition organizers in Kathmandu confirmed that higher success rates this year were supported by a stretch of clear weather that lasted…