KATHMANDU: A five-member Sherpa team from Imagine Nepal, Elite Expeditions, and Altipro, joined by Polish mountaineer Bartek Ziemski, climbed above the contested ice blockage in the Khumbu Icefall on Sunday and fixed ladders and ropes toward Camp I, in what marks the most significant progress on the stalled Everest route since the season's opening was delayed.

The team was forced to turn back just short of Camp I due to a whiteout, but Imagine Nepal said the route to Camp I is now nearly complete. Crucially, the team reported finding conditions far safer than the prevailing narrative suggested. "All climbers who have been above the ice blockage think the route is safe," the expedition company said in a statement, adding: "We believe Mother Qomolangma has shown us a path to make a safe climb."

Photo Courtesy: Imagine Nepal

The Sherpa team comprised Pemba Waiba (drone pilot), Dawa Tenzing — a 30-year Everest veteran and first winter K2 summiteer — Saila Mingma of Altipro, IFMGA aspirant guide Dipen Gurung, and Phuri Kitar of Elite Expeditions. Drone footage obtained during the operation was said to show safer routing options through the section.

The development comes against a backdrop of mounting anxiety at Everest Base Camp, where hundreds of climbers have been waiting as a large hanging serac has blocked icefall doctors from placing ladders along a critical section below Camp II.

Photo Courtesy: Imagine Nepal

An earlier joint recce on the same day by 17 senior mountain guides and eight icefall doctors from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), Expedition Operators Association of Nepal (EOAN) had returned a more cautious assessment. Lakpa Sherpa, Expedition Director at 8K Expeditions and field coordinator for the inspection, said the team found no viable alternative route until the hanging serac collapses on its own. SPCC base camp manager Tshering Tenzing Sherpa confirmed the serac gap had widened from roughly three feet to eight feet — a sign, he said, that a natural collapse may not be far off.

"Rather than making silly statements from Kathmandu, all need to know the ground situation here on the mountain," Lakpa and Tshering said jointly, urging patience from all quarters.

Mike Hamill, owner of Climbing The Seven Summits (CTSS) posted: “Yesterday we held a meeting here at Everest base camp with leaders from all the various teams. This meeting was hosted by the SPCC/Icefall Doctors to address the impasse in the Khumbu icefall. 

A team of 20+ from the icefall doctors, the EOA, and other teams including CTSS went up to assess the state of the route and look for options. They all turned back in agreement that the route above was still too dangerous. Another smaller independent team did make it above this section but it remains to be seen if their route is reasonable to send hundreds of climbers through. The icefall doctors will head back up tomorrow to assess this route and to keep eyes on the condition of the seracs. 

I am inspired to see the entire Everest community coming together to work towards a common goal and find solutions.”

The Expedition Operators Association of Nepal (EOAN) meanwhile said it is closely monitoring developments and has expedited consultations with the government and stakeholders. A coordination committee led by the Director General of the Department of Tourism — including the heads of EOAN, the Nepal Mountaineering Association, and SPCC — is exploring possible solutions.

EOAN General Secretary Rishi Ram Bhandari said a safer climbing season remained the "topmost priority," and that options including airlifting logistics and rope-fixing Sherpas to Camp II, as well as extending the climbing season beyond the May 29 deadline, are under active discussion. "A delay in route-fixing could result in congestion during the peak season," he acknowledged, appealing to all climbers to maintain patience and continue acclimatisation in the region.

The Department of Tourism has, on a minister-level decision, authorised a separate EOAN mountain guides team to coordinate with SPCC icefall doctors on route fixing — a move Tshering said removes any grounds for blame. "Now there is no suspicion left to blame icefall doctors for delaying route fixing," he said, defending their track record. "They know the dos and don'ts in rope fixing when it comes to placing ladders in the icefall section," SPCC Chairman Lama Kazi Sherpa added.

With Monday's ladder-fixing effort offering a fresh dose of optimism, attention now turns to whether the serac will fall in time — and whether authorities will greenlight the logistical and timeline flexibility that operators say is essential for a safe and successful season.