In a few days, Sherpa specialists on Mount Everest will begin heading up the Khumbu Icefall with ropes, ladders, and ice anchors. These Icefall Doctors will open the route to Camp 1. From there, 8K Expeditions, one of Nepal’s biggest outfitters, will take over.
This year, 8K has the job of fixing the ropes to the summit. Lakpa Sherpa, a seven-time Everest summiter, founded the company in 2021. Under his entrepreneurial guidance, the company has grown significantly. A skilled entrepreneur, Lakpa gave up personal passions like acting and dancing to focus on tourism. Before the season, he found time to talk to ExplorersWeb.
Nowadays, Lakpa Sherpa usually coordinates his company’s teams from Base Camp. Photo: 8K Expeditions
Everest is busier than ever
So far, the 2025 season looks even busier than usual. 8K Expeditions’ bookings are already full for Annapurna, Everest, and Lhotse.
“Currently, there is a shortage of oxygen and Sherpa climbing guides, which suggests there may be more climbers in the market,” he noted. “However, we will have a clearer understanding by April 20, when most permits are issued.”
Lakpa Sherpa anticipates that 2025 will have more climbers than previous years.
“Interest in Everest remains strong, but recent policy shifts could affect the decisions, especially [regarding] independent climbers,” Lakpa said. He is referring to the new rule that all foreign climbers must have a local guide with them. “Additionally, the increase in permit fees may result in more climbers this spring before the raise comes into effect.”
Lakpa at Everest Base Camp. Photo: 8K Expeditions
A huge staff
His company’s figures illustrate the growth of the Everest industry.
“Excluding porters, we have over 150 staff dedicated to the Everest and Lhotse expeditions, including climbing guides, kitchen staff, and the base camp management team,” Lakpa said. “For Everest, we have more than 50 international [clients], while the Lhotse expedition includes over 15 members. We allocate 10 oxygen bottles per climber for the expedition, and because we are also the rope-fixing team, we require a larger supply of oxygen this year, over 600 bottles.”
An Everest group in the spring of 2024. Photo: 8K Expeditions
“For every expedition, we will have more than 10 Sherpa climbers available as backup. Climbers are human and can fall ill, so we maintain extra staff for emergencies. Some Sherpa climbers will make multiple ascents of Everest in a season, and they are well-compensated for each climb.”
Independent climbers not welcome
Recent regulations banning independent climbers have caused concern among those teams hoping to climb self-sufficiently on the normal routes. This especially impacts those speed climbers who wish to proceed without oxygen or Sherpa support above Base Camp.
“These rules have already been approved by the government,” Lakpa said. “I strongly support them because in my 14 years of experience, I have observed that solo climbers are the ones who most likely face accidents at high altitudes. Many lack proper planning, and often, solo climbers wait for the rope-fixing team to establish the climbing line, which can create tension and lead to dangerous situations.”
The case of Szilard Suhajda, who climbed solo, unsupported, and without oxygen and died of exhaustion on Everest two years ago, encouraged authorities to stop granting solo permits. Solo climbers are now basically unwelcome on both the Tibetan and Nepal sides of the mountain.
Climbers head up Lhotse, with Everest behind. Photo: 8K Expeditions
“At 8K Expeditions, we do not take on clients without climbing guide support,” Lakpa said. “This is to minimize the risk of accidents.”
Lakpa was not sure about a potential grey zone: What happens if the solo climber is a guide or climbs with a foreign partner with guiding skills?
This is the case with Karl Eggloff, who hopes to break the Fastest Known Time on Everest. Eggloff plans to climb without oxygen or Sherpa support, accompanied by his friend (and professional guide) Nico Miranda, who will have oxygen.
“Whether an independent guide can climb with a foreign partner remains unclear,” Lakpa said. “We are awaiting further clarification from the government.”
Safer but still risky
Superior infrastructure, logistics, technology, and bigger teams have made Everest safer than ever. Still, several die on the mountain every year. In some years, the figures are alarming, as when 18 climbers perished in 2023.
“Safety remains a challenge because of unpredictable weather and high-altitude problems,” Lakpa said. “Environmental factors like global warming also pose risks.”
Timing matters
Lakpa knows that if the rope-fixing team summits early, there will be more opportunities for follow-up pushes. This distributes the crowds over several days, preventing long queues on the upper sections, one of the most unpopular aspects of contemporary Everest climbing.
“We are hoping for more favorable weather this year compared to last year, as the full moon occurs before May 12,” Lakpa noted. “This allows us to establish the summit route early, allowing for a wider summit window and increasing the chances of success.”
Lakpa is aware that cooperation among expedition agencies, leaders, and guides is key to managing the large number of climbers.
“This includes…staggered summit attempts, better permit distribution, and improved route management, such as double-fixing lines,” Lakpa said.
A small city
The small city that is Everest Base Camp (EBC) grows larger each year, and is now almost at the point of unsustainability. Not only does the number of climbers increase, but the comforts and services for them become more sophisticated. These include individual tents with proper beds, furniture, and TVs, huge dome tents for groups, more staff, gourmet chefs, and even a bar service. This is all installed on a moving glacier while the world struggles with climate change and has naturally alarmed environmentalists.
Some warn that glacial lakes may form under the ice at EBC, causing unpredictable collapses. Others have suggested that the entire camp should move down the valley, but the idea proved too inconvenient. Instead, authorities are curbing the luxuries allowed in camp.
Litter in the higher camps
Many climbers, including locals, have also criticized the state of the higher camps, especially Camp 4 at 7,900m. Garbage, tattered tents, and even dead bodies are often left behind.
Lakpa says that the retrieval of garbage and bodies above 8,000m has improved in recent years. “The Nepalese Army, with the support of various operators, is [also] coordinating clean-up expeditions,” he adds.
Rope-fixing and helicopters
This year, as we mentioned, 8K Expeditions will fix the ropes from Camp 2 to the summits of Everest and Lhotse.
In the 20th century, teams shared the rope-fixing work or the payment for Sherpas who did. That system is no longer used on busy routes like Everest-Lhotse, Manaslu, and Ama Dablam. With over 50 authorized operators, the Expedition Operator’s Association of Nepal (EOA) now assigns the job to one outfitter every season. Several companies submit bids, one is chosen, and everyone else on the mountain pays to use the ropes.
Lakpa’s team will transport equipment from Base Camp to Camp 2 by helicopter. “It will help avoid the burden of carrying all the loads back and forth and minimize the risk for our climbing Sherpas,” he said.
Recently, helicopters have added a controversial element to Everest climbs. A few climbers have used these aerial taxis to avoid the dangerous Khumbu Icefall, especially when descending from the summit.
Heli-cheating a growing concern
“I am completely against climbers taking airlifts from Camp 2 or Camp 1 to skip the Icefall,” Lakpa says. “This goes against mountaineering ethics.”
The method is acceptable, however, for legitimate rescue and emergencies.
“Longline rescues can be effective. However, many climbers on descent ask for an airlift under the pretense of a rescue that they don’t need, which is a growing concern,” he admits.
