Gelje Sherpa: 'It’s time for change on Everest'

The 2026 pre‑monsoon season was a record season on the world's highest mountain and a detailed report about the most significant climbs is currently in the making. In the meantime, one of the most authoritative Sherpas, Gelje Sherpa, has published a series of proposals to make climbing Everest safer.

On his Instagram account he wrote the following: "This year was one of the hardest seasons I've experienced - as a guide and as a company owner. A dangerous icefall, unstable weather, and more people on the mountain than it can safely hold. Every decision felt like a gamble. But our team delivered, and our clients summited. Now I need to say something.

It’s time for change on Everest. But not just rules that the government comes up with without asking the mountaineering community. Rules that will actually bring down the number of climbers and make sure everyone is safe.

The government put up the permit fee of Everest by 4000usd. This year was the most permits ever sold on Everest. Something isn’t working.

So here are my suggestions as someone who has been working in the industry since I was 13:

1. At least a 6500m summit before Everest including Mountains outside of Nepal like Aconcagua.
2. Every sherpa must have real guiding qualifications and must have high altitude experience before guiding a client specifically 1:1
3. Every client and sherpa must go through medical checks at Basecamp and camp 2 before being allowed to climb further, this must be provided from the permit money.
4. There must be a ranger or rescue team based at camp 2 to carry out rescues, control numbers, and control garbage. This team should NOT be associated with any expedition company.

These are my suggestions and opinions and I really believe this could make Everest a safer place.

To Nepal's Minister of Tourism: I don't ask for these changes. I beg for them. For our sherpas. For our clients. For this mountain."

These few lines from Gelje Sherpa – who is famous for being the youngest of the 10 Nepalese climbers who completed the historic first winter ascent of K2, for leading an expedition that established new route on the south side of Cho Oyu, and for setting up his own agency with his partner Adriana Brownlee – have met with unanimous approval from climbers and Himalayan mountaineers. With good reason, of course.

However, it must be said that the first proposal is nothing new, and has been floated several times by Nepalese authorities and bodies. On the other hand, climbing a 6000er or even a 7000er on a fixed route with supplementary oxygen and a guide doesn't offer any particular guarantees about the abilities and physical fitness of climbers aspiring to one or more 8000ers. They depend almost exclusively on the number of oxygen cylinders they have and the service provided by the agency they chose – so, almost certainly, on how much they are willing to spend.

On the second point, the question to ask is: "certified" guides – but certified by whom? Nepalese guides with an UIAGM certificate are few. Too few. National certifications in Nepal, where corruption is endemic, would probably suffer from the same problem as point 3: just pay.

The proposal in point 4 is entirely commendable, provided a way can be found to have a team completely independent of any power, including that of money and the larger agencies that are better equipped in terms of experience and manpower and therefore (rightly) more appreciated and in demand.

— Alessandro Filippini, Milan

 

 

 

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