Over 120 climbers have already secured permits to attempt to summit the world's highest peak – twice as many as at this time in 2024, with local tour operators pointing to the upcoming fee hike as the explanation for the sudden surge.
According to reporting by The Kathmandu Post, early sales have indicated the potential for 2025 to be a record-breaking season. Among the successful applicants there are 95 men and 25 women.
Last year 421 Mount Everest climbing permits were issued, and in total 200 climbers reached the summit supported by more than 600 guides.
Nepalese tour operators believe that the upcoming changes in mountaineering regulations, which will take effect on September 1, have contributed to a spike in interest. As part of those changes, climbers will pay 36% more to use the most popular South Col route. The price is increasing from $11,000 to $15,000 for the spring season.
“Based on bookings from other major operators and our own company, we are expecting more than 500 Everest aspirants this season,” Mingma Sherpa, managing director of Seven Summit Treks, told the Post.
In April 2024, Nepal's Supreme Court requested that the government set a limit on the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest, saying that the mountain's capacity "must be respected". The Court did not provide guidance on the number of permits that should be issued.
While no cap on permit limits has been reported, the new costs on the peak are the first price increase for almost a decade.
Fees for those wanting to climb outside the spring season will also increase by the same percentage. Once the price hikes take effect, permits will cost $7,500 from September to November and $3,750 from December to February. Operators have said that the total cost of an Everest expedition package could rise by $7,000 to $10,000.
Dambar Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, says he doesn't believe the rising costs will put off ambitious climbers.
“A climber who has been preparing for a year might delay the climb by a year or two, but Everest’s allure is timeless, regardless of expense."
Solo climbers banned
The new regulations introduced by the Nepalese government also require everyone on the mountain to be accompanied by an expert guide. A maximum of two climbers on Everest will have to use one guide.
Previously, climbers could attempt the 20,032ft / 8,849m summit solo, paying companies for base camp accommodation, and use of equipment such as ladders and fixed ropes along the route.
Unsupported climbing of Mount Everest comes with great risk, and just a few people have successfully soloed it. Poland’s Piotr Krzyzowski was the last person to do so, on May 23, 2024.
In January 2025, German climber Jost Kobusch tried to summit solo without supplementary oxygen but turned back at an altitude of 24,728ft (7,537m) after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake made the route too risky.
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