Mount Everest is seen, center left, from base camp in Nepal, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Mountaineers participate in a training session at the Khumbu Icefall as they prepare for their ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, Nepal, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Prayers flags furl over the guides' and mountaineers' tents at the base camp of the Mount Everest, Nepal, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Mountaineers' and guides' tents are spread over at the base camp of Mount Everest, Nepal, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Mountaineers ascend Khumbu Icefall on their way to the summit of Mount Everest in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Snow covers tents during a period of inclement weather at the Everest Base Camp, Nepal, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Mountaineers participate in a training session at the Khumbu Icefall as they prepare for their ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, Nepal, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Snow covers tents during a period of inclement weather at the Everest Base Camp, Nepal, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Mountaineers ascend from Lhotse Face to Camp 1 on their way to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal, Friday, May 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Mountaineers participate in a training session at the Khumbu Icefall as they prepare for their ascent to the summit of Mount Everest, Nepal, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Guides and mountaineers stand outside their tents during acclimatization period before attempting the Mount Everest ascent at the base camp, Nepal, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Mountaineers ascend Khumbu Icefall on their way to the summit of Mount Everest, Nepal, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Mountaineers' tents are pitched at the base camp before their ascent of Mount Everest, Nepal, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
A trail of mountaineers' headlamps is visible from Everest Base Camp as climbers ascend toward the summit of Mount Everest, Nepal, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Pasang Rinzee Sherpa)
Audio By Carbonatix
12:46 AM on Monday, May 11
By PASANG RINZEE SHERPA
Hundreds of climbers are attempting to scale Mount Everest despite an unstable ice block dangerously hanging over the key trail, high travel costs and increased permit fees.
Around 492 climbers and an equal number of Nepali climbing guides are gearing up for the ascent to the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) high summit this month during the much-anticipated window of good weather on the world's highest mountain.
Climbers began gathering in April at the base camp, which is at an altitude of 5,300 meters (17,340 feet.) But for more than two weeks a massive and unstable block of ice, or serac, stalled them from moving further up the peak.
The serac is part of the Khumbu Icefall, a constantly shifting glacier with deep crevasses and huge pieces of overhanging ice that can be as big as a 10-story building. The section is considered one of the most difficult and trickiest to climb.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, a mountaineering expert in Nepal, said there are a good number of climbers on Mount Everest this season despite the Iran war and increased travel costs. The number of climbers from the U.S. and European countries has decreased, but there has been a rise in the number of Asian climbers.
Mount Everest straddles the Nepal-China border, although China has closed its route this year, leaving climbers to make their attempts from Nepal on the south side.
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