KATHMANDU: Preparations for the spring 2026 climbing season on Mt Everest have moved forward after the team of Icefall Doctors mobilised by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) began fixing the climbing route through the Khumbu Icefall on Monday.

According to SPCC Chief Executive Officer Tshering Sherpa, the team started its work after conducting a traditional puja ceremony at Everest Base Camp before entering the icefall section of the mountain.

The Icefall Doctors had reached base camp on March 4 and underwent a week-long training before starting their route-fixing tasks.

“They will identify the safest route through the icefall and install ladders and ropes along the section,” Sherpa said. The team will also monitor and maintain the climbing route from Base Camp to Camp II throughout the season.

The Icefall Doctors are responsible for establishing a safe passage through the Khumbu Icefall, widely considered the most technically challenging section of the Everest climb due to constantly shifting ice blocks and deep crevasses.

Above Camp II, the route towards the summit will be fixed by the Expedition Operators’ Association of Nepal (EOAN).

Expedition organisers estimate that more than 400 foreign climbers, along with their guides and support staff, are expected to attempt the world’s highest peak this spring.

The Spring 2026 Icefall Doctors team is led by Ang Sarki Sherpa as chief leader and Dawa Jangbu Sherpa as team leader, under Base Camp Manager Tshering Tenzing Sherpa.

Other members include Tendu Sherpa, Ngima Tenji Sherpa, Phura Chheten Sherpa, Dawa Chhirri Sherpa, Sonam Geljen Sherpa and Mingma Gyaljen Sherpa.

The team will remain stationed at the SPCC’s Everest Base Camp office for about three months, ensuring safe passage for climbers attempting Everest as well as neighbouring peaks Lhotse and Nuptse.

Preparations for the climbing season also come with stricter waste management rules on Everest.

SPCC recently announced that climbers must now bring back at least two kilograms of garbage from areas above Camp II, including higher camps such as Camp III and Camp IV.

Under previous regulations, climbers were required to deposit eight kilograms of garbage at base camp at the end of their expedition. However, authorities found that climbers often collected rubbish from lower sections to meet the quota while leaving waste scattered in higher camps.

To address this, SPCC monitoring teams will be stationed at Camp II throughout the climbing season to verify that climbers are carrying waste collected from higher camps.

The committee has also introduced mandatory use of official “poop bags” provided by SPCC and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, replacing climbers’ personal waste bags.

Officials say the stricter rules aim to curb growing environmental pressure on Everest, where expedition traffic has steadily increased in recent years.