Just before the start of the season, operations on Mount Everest have come to a standstill. A serac approximately 30 meters high is blocking the normal route through the Khumbu Icefall, forcing the Icefall Doctors to halt their work. Hundreds of climbers are already waiting at base camp for the all-clear.
Stand: 28. April 2026
Key passage blocked by serac
On April 10, 2026, the Icefall Doctors—the experienced Sherpa team that establishes the standard route to the roof of the world through the Khumbu Icefall each year—discovered an unstable block of ice approximately 300 meters below Camp 1. The serac is reportedly about 30 meters high and hangs directly above the planned ascent route to Camp 1. On April 24, the authorities officially declared the section impassable. Since then, work on fixed ropes and ladders has been suspended. A safe detour has not yet been established.
Drones and 3D models against the serac
According to Adriana Brownlee, co-owner of the expedition company AGA Adventures, the Icefall Doctors rely not only on their many years of experience but also on modern technology, including drones and 3D imaging, to measure the serac and better assess when it might collapse.
Remembering 2014
The Khumbu Icefall is the most notorious section of the South Col route. The glacier here flows down the valley by almost a meter every day, new crevasses constantly open, and ice towers constantly collapse. On April 18, 2014, 16 Sherpas died here when a serac collapsed. In the fall of 2019, Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering also had to abandon an expedition due to an unstable serac. Gelje Sherpa, a former Icefall Doctor and co-founder of AGA Adventures, pointed out to CNN that climate change has exacerbated the situation: the icefall is significantly more dangerous today than it was just a few years ago.
Concern about congestion on Everest
Despite the increased permit fee of US$15.000 (previously US$11.000), Nepal has already issued 410 climbing permits this season. With the north face in Tibet still closed, all summit traffic is concentrated on the south route. The route through the icefall is usually fixed by mid-April, allowing acclimatization rotations to begin. The first summit successes typically occur in early May. Currently, the expedition is about two weeks behind schedule.
A recent development could bring a breakthrough: As expedition organizer Imagine Nepal reported on Instagram, a mixed team has climbed over the blocking ice and installed ladders and fixed ropes towards Camp 1. The team included three Sherpas from Imagine Nepal – Pema Waiba, Dawa Tenzing, and Dipen Gurung – as well as Saila Mingma from AltiPro, Phuri Kitar from Elite Exped, and Polish alpinist Bartek Ziemski. Shortly before reaching Camp 1, the team had to turn back due to a whiteout. According to Imagine Nepal, the route is "almost complete."
However, this assessment is not without controversy: The official Icefall Doctors and the team dispatched by the Expedition Operators Association recently stated that they had not found a safe route. Saila Mingma herself also expressed reservations to ExplorersWeb, stating that poor visibility had prevented a final evaluation of the route. Official clearance from the Icefall Doctors or the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) is still pending.
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Credits: Cover image: Adobe Stock