International Everest Summiteers’ Summit from May 27

Kathmandu: The International Everest Summiteers’ Summit 2025 is being held in the federal capital, Kathmandu, for the first time on May 27 under the auspices of Everest Alliance Nepal.

Chair of the organiser, Sudarshan Nepal, shared that the summit will feature a special gathering of national and international Everest climbers from Nepal as well as various countries around the world.

He said that the summit will bring together mountaineering experts, policy makers, conservationists, tourism stakeholders, locals, including tourism entrepreneurs, Sherpa guides, trekkers, and communities representing mountain culture on a single platform to discuss international cooperation on promoting sustainable tourism, protecting the Himalayan environment, and uplifting local communities.

The participation of more than 177 mountaineers from 16 countries has been ensured so far. Countries including India, China, the USA, Pakistan, Austria, Britain, Italy, Norway, Iran, Singapore, Australia, Lebanon, Morocco, and the UAE are being represented in the Summit.

The Everest Summiteers will share their inspiring journey stories, experiences of success, moments of struggle and lessons learned. Similarly, the voice of conservation has been given special priority in the conference. The summit has received special support of international and national organizations such as ICIMOD, IUCN, WWF, ZSL and NTNC, said the organisers.

Kanchha Sherpa, who first climbed Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953, will be honored with the “Lifetime Achievement Award”.

Other attractions of the conference include seminars on the challenges of climbing, women’s participation, climate crisis, safe technology, Everest honor ceremony, Himalayan cultural festival, tableaus reflecting painting and mountain lifestyle, photo exhibitions, and equipment exhibitions. Local handicrafts and traditional Himalayan materials from the Everest region will be put on display during the summit.

The theme of the summit is ‘Everest is our pride, identity and now our responsibility’ and is also expected to draw attention towards the growing environmental crisis in the Himalayas, responsible mountaineering practices, and the need for international cooperation.