KATHMANDU: Nepal has issued climbing permits to 944 mountaineers from 76 countries for the Spring 2026 season across 30 peaks, with Everest alone drawing 410 climbers, according to updated permit data released by the Department of Tourism as of April 23.

The permits have generated total royalties of USD 6,912,321, equivalent to Rs 1,028,893,326 — crossing the Rs 1 billion mark for the season. Of the 944 permitted climbers — 243 female and 701 male — Everest accounts for 410 across 41 teams, generating USD 5,982,041.76 in royalties, nearly 87 percent of the total.

China leads the Everest nationalities with 98 climbers, followed by the United States with 100 climbers across all peaks and 49 on Everest specifically, India with 71 across all peaks and 46 on Everest, the United Kingdom with 64 across all peaks and 28 on Everest, and Russia with 60 across all peaks and 18 on Everest. Germany fields 65 climbers across all peaks, the largest European contingent, while Japan has 35 across all peaks and 14 on Everest.

Lhotse (8,516m) is the second most permitted peak with 86 climbers across seven teams generating USD 258,000, followed by Makalu I (8,463m) with 54 climbers generating USD 159,330. Dhaulagiri I (8,167m) has 30 permitted climbers from four teams earning USD 90,000, while Annapurna I (8,091m) has 27 climbers across four teams with USD 81,000 in royalties. Kanchenjunga appears in two entries totalling 34 climbers generating USD 102,000 in combined royalties.

Among technical peaks, Ama Dablam (6,814m) has emerged as the most popular non-eight-thousander with 92 climbers across eight teams — up from earlier figures — generating USD 92,000. Himlung Himal (7,126m) draws 44 climbers from five teams, and Nuptse (7,855m) has 42 climbers across four teams. Other notable peaks include Barunste (7,129m) with 12 climbers, Pumori (7,161m) with seven and Manaslu (8,163m) with two permitted climbers this spring.

Meanwhile, one of the season's most compelling stories comes from Mera Peak (6,470m), where former Russian paratrooper Rustam Nabiev — who lost both legs in 2015 when a barracks collapsed — reached the summit at 6:35 AM on April 22, guided by Ram Kaji Shrestha with logistics provided by Refuge Mera Lodge at Khare. Nabiev, who previously summited Manaslu in 2021, is now preparing for a Mount Everest attempt this spring with Seven Summits Club — a bid that, if successful, would stand as one of the most extraordinary achievements in the history of Himalayan mountaineering.

With first summits already recorded on Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Makalu, and expeditions on Everest, Lhotse and Kanchenjunga in acclimatisation, the main Everest summit window is expected to open in May.