KATHMANDU: The Indian Army’s Army Adventure Wing (AAW) has set a new world record on Mount Everest by achieving the largest single-day summit push by a single organisation, with 49 climbers and Sherpa guides successfully reaching the top on May 27 during the Spring 2025 climbing season.

The achievement, certified by Official World Record, was made during the Indian Army’s Silver Jubilee Everest Expedition and involved 22 Indian Army climbers supported by 27 high-altitude Sherpa guides. All members summited Mount Everest (8,848.86 metres) on the same day, marking an unprecedented coordinated ascent on the world’s highest peak.

The expedition was operated and logistically supported by Nepal-based expedition company Seven Summit Treks, which handled overall logistics, Sherpa coordination, oxygen supply, route support and base camp management throughout the season.

Leadership and coordination

The AAW expedition was led by Lieutenant Colonel Manoj Joshi and followed the South Col route under stable weather conditions after weeks of acclimatisation and preparation.

Overall expedition leadership was overseen by Chhang Dawa Sherpa, under whose leadership the world’s first winter ascent of K2 was achieved in 2021. Mingma Sherpa, Nepal’s first climber to summit all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, managed ground handling and operational coordination.

Veteran Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa, the world record holder for the most ascents of Mount Everest with 31 summits, served as the main sirdar (lead guide), overseeing high-altitude operations along with a team of experienced Sherpa climbers and certified mountain guides. The guiding team was responsible for route fixing support, oxygen logistics and camp management during the summit push.

Largest single-day summit

According to Seven Summit Treks, the record-setting ascent was the result of careful planning, phased acclimatisation rotations and precisely timed movement across camps to ensure safety and efficiency within a narrow summit window.

Mountaineering observers noted that managing such a large team on Everest requires exceptional discipline, experienced leadership and seamless coordination, particularly in a season marked by variable weather patterns and increasing crowd management challenges on the mountain.

AAW climbers who summited Everest

The Indian Army climbers who successfully reached the summit are:

1. Lt. Col. Bhanoo Pathak
2. Mahak Mehta
3. Anirudh Yadav
4. Krishna Bahadur Kuwar
5. Tashi Stanba
6. Indra Singh Adhikari
7. Sunil Singh
8. Arjun Thapa Magar
9. Shankar Nath Goswami
10. Sunil Budhalakoti
11. Kundan Singh
12. Tundup Namgail
13. Raghuveer Singh
14. Urgain Padma
15. Deepak Singh
16. Rigzen Nurboo
17. Tsewang Motup
18. Balwant Singh
19. Bhuvan Ale Magar
20. Pradeep Singh
21. Dharmendra Singh
22. Kiran Bahadur PC

They were supported by 27 Sherpa guides who formed part of the historic summit push.

Significance of the achievement

The successful ascent marks the 25th anniversary of the Indian Army’s first Everest expedition, making it significant both in terms of mountaineering history and institutional legacy. The expedition concluded without any major incidents, underscoring the importance of structured expedition management, Sherpa expertise and coordination at extreme altitude.

The record has also been described as a strong example of long-standing Nepal–India cooperation in Himalayan mountaineering, highlighting the critical role of Nepali Sherpas alongside the endurance, training and discipline of Indian Army climbers in achieving high-altitude success.