Everest 2026 Season Summary–Records, Crowds, Trash & Winds

<p>Welcome to my annual Everest summary, where I review what happened and who did what. Quirky. That&#39;s my word for Everest 2026. Or perhaps, &quot;normal.&quot;</p><p><br></p><p>The 2026 Everest spring season has come to a close. There were delays, strong winds, changing drone and helicopter rules, moments of concern and challenging climbing. Despite the dramatic headlines in the mainstream press, it was actually a fairly normal season, as evidenced in part by roughly 80% of this year&#39;s 1,008 summits occurring between May 17th and May 26th, consistent with historical trends. The Himalayan Database will publish what I consider to be the definitive results later this year. #everest2026</p><p><br></p><p>If you would like to be notified when my memoir, &quot;Hard or Impossible? Summiting K2 for Ida is available – I&#39;m still looking for an agent. Complete the form at the bottom of this introduction page: https://www.alanarnette.com/memoir</p>