New record set as 274 climbers scale Everest’s south side in single day | CNN

A record 274 climbers scaled Mount Everest on Wednesday, the highest number to reach the summit from the mountain’s south side in a single day, a Nepali hiking official said. That’s nearly 50 more than the previous high of 223 set on May 22, 2019, though the overall number was higher that day because some climbers reached the summit from the mountain’s northern side in Tibet. China issued no permits to climb the north face this year, according to reports. Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, confirmed the figure to CNN, crediting good weather conditions and the large number of climbers waiting to ascend the 8,848-meter (29,029 feet) peak. Strong winds are forecast for later in the week, Bhandari said Overcrowding has been a growing problem on Everest for years, with one infamous 2019 photo taken by climber Nirmal Purja showing a long line of climbers huddling on an exposed ridge waiting to reach the summit. He told CNN at the time that there were roughly 320 people in the queue to the top in an area known as the “death zone.” The world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest has a key window in spring for alpinists hoping to reac