KATHMANDU: The Department of Tourism has issued an official confirmation that the Khumbu Icefall route from Everest Base Camp to Camp II has been fully established, bringing to a close one of the most closely watched route-fixing episodes in recent Everest history and formally opening the 2026 summit season.

In a press release dated April 29, the Department — coordinating with SPCC, EOAN, NMA, and local authorities — confirmed that the large unstable serac that had blocked the icefall for nearly two weeks was safely addressed following methodical ground assessment and safety protocol adherence. The joint team of SPCC icefall doctors and EOA Sherpa climbers fixed the most critical section of the route between Base Camp and Camp I on April 26–27, with the route to Camp II completed thereafter.

The EOAN — which signed a separate agreement with the Department for rope fixing from Camp II to the summit — has been directed to mobilise additional manpower and logistics and proceed with upper-route preparations at the earliest feasible time. Expedition members and guides have already begun summit progression following acclimatisation rotations at designated camps.

The confirmation closes a chapter that began with the DoT and SPCC signing their route-setting agreement on January 20. Logistics and equipment reached Base Camp in February; icefall doctors were deployed February 29 and arrived at Base Camp on March 4, completing advanced refresher training at the Khumbu Climbing School before formal route-opening operations commenced on March 16 following the Puja ceremony. Adverse weather through much of March — strong winds and persistent snowfall — repeatedly disrupted progress, and a large serac in the rockfall section below Camp I ultimately stalled the final push until this week.

The Department acknowledged the professionalism of the icefall doctors and Sherpa guides throughout, and called on all expedition personnel to maintain strict safety compliance for the remainder of the season.

The DoT's Temporary Field Office at Everest Base Camp, operational since April 26, is deploying Everest Summiteer Liaison Officers to support on-site coordination and facilitation through the season — a first for the department in terms of direct field-level presence during an active expedition season.

With 425 climbers permitted on Everest, 111 on Lhotse, and further teams on Nuptse and other peaks, all of whom must transit the Khumbu Icefall to reach the high camps, the opening of the route to Camp II sets the entire season in motion.