Kami Rita Sherpa, the veteran Nepalese mountaineer who this month set a new record with his 32nd summit of Mount Everest, has called on authorities to cap and better regulate ascent permits as crowds multiply on the world’s highest peak. He received a warm welcome in Kathmandu after reaching the 8,848.86-metre summit in mid-May.
Kami Rita said the latest expedition felt more crowded than last year and urged the government to limit numbers and raise qualification standards for climbers. “It’s not about limiting the number of climbers on a day basis, the government should focus more on the quality of the climbers — the more qualified climbers should be allowed to go. The numbers should be limited; there should be a cap,” he told the media.
Born in Thame, Solukhumbu District in 1970, Kami Rita began his mountaineering career in 1992 as support staff and first summited Everest in 1994. Over more than two decades he has guided and summited repeatedly, and has also climbed other major peaks including K2, Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Manaslu. Asked whether he will attempt another record ascent next year, he said he has not decided and that his climbs are intended to promote Nepal and its tourism rather than simply chase records.
Climbing traffic has surged: nearly 500 permits were issued for Everest this season, and authorities report record-high permit and royalty collections in 2026. The government has tightened rules and raised fees for high-altitude climbing. Since September, royalties for peaks above 8,000 metres have been increased and, under the Sixth Amendment to mountaineering regulations (released February 3, 2025), solo expeditions on peaks above 8,000 metres are banned.
The revised royalty schedule raises the spring-season Everest fee via the standard south route to USD 15,000 per person (up from USD 11,000). Autumn fees rose to USD 7,500 (from 5,500), and winter and monsoon fees to USD 3,750 (from 2,750). Fees for other 8,000-metre peaks were also increased: spring royalties to USD 3,000 (from 1,800), autumn to USD 1,500 (from 900), and winter/monsoon to USD 750 (from 450). Nepali climbers now face a doubled spring-route royalty of NRs 150,000 (up from 75,000).
Expedition costs can rise further when weather narrows the short climbing window. Since the first confirmed summit by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, nearly 7,000 climbers have reached Everest’s top from the Nepal side. Kami Rita and other Nepalese guides say better-managed permits and stricter qualifications are needed to protect climber safety, conserve the mountain environment, and sustain Everest as a global attraction.
