Snow brings early close to Everest climbing season

Around 250 people have scaled Mount Everest from the south side this year, including three Maltese adventurers, Nepal said yesterday, as heavy snow brought the brief climbing season to an early close.

Mountaineering officials said the weather on Everest had deteriorated since snow began falling on Sunday, ending a climbing season that has set records for the highest number of summits and the youngest person ever to reach the top.

"We have come to the end of the Everest season," mountaineering department official Tilak Pandey told AFP by telephone from Everest Base Camp on the south side of the mountain, which straddles Nepal and China.

"The spring season can often go on until the end of May, but the weather has got worse since Sunday. As far as we know, there are no more teams left to climb this season."

Mountaineering blogs reported a rush for the summit over the weekend as expedition leaders tried to ensure as many climbers as possible made it to the top before the weather closed in.

An estimated 200 people reached the summit on Saturday, the busiest day, when 13-year-old American Jordan Romero became the youngest person ever to climb Everest, tackling the mountain from the quieter north side.

Nepal's Apa Sherpa also climbed on Saturday, breaking his own world record by summiting for the 20th time.

Around 2,900 people have scaled Mount Everest since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to conquer the 8,848-metre peak in 1953.

Most climbers make their attempt in late April and May, when a small window between spring and the summer monsoon offers the best conditions for the ascent, although it is also possible to do so in early autumn.

Mr Pandey said 2010 had been a successful season on Everest, with no serious casualties, although two people had to be airlifted off the mountain yesterday, one with altitude sickness and another with a minor injury.

"The summit rate this year was very encouraging. Most of those who applied for a permit, or around 250 climbers, were able to make it to the top," he said.