8 Sherpas summit Mt Everest in a first for the season

Kathmandu: An eight-member group of Sherpas summited Mt Everest Sunday, becoming the seasons first team to scale the worlds highest peak in Nepal, a media report said.

The group, including rope-fixing Sherpas, reached the south summit around 8 am and then opened a route to the peak from the Nepalese side around 3:30 pm, the Himalayan Times reported.

"Now, more than 240 climbers along with their high altitude workers can make their summit pushes on Mt Everest after the rope fixing team opened the route," said Iswari Paudel, Managing Director at Himalayan Guides Nepal (HGN) Pvt Ltd, the expedition organiser.

The team included Pasang Tenjing Sherpa, Pasdawa Sherpa, Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, Jen Jen Lama, Siddi Bahadur Tamang, Pemba Chhiri Sherpa, Tenzing Gyaljen Sherpa and Datuk Bhote, the report said.

Expedition Operator Association Nepal has assigned HGN to fix the ropes on Mt Everest this season, it said.

Paudel said the Sherpas had left the Camp IV two days ago and faced inclement weather that caused a delay in the rope fixing work last week.

Liaison officer Gyanendra Shrestha said over 500 climbers from across the world including 247 expedition members have already completed acclimatisation rotations and will attempt scaling the 8,848-metre peak this season.

"At least three different teams will begin their summit attempts on Monday," Shrestha said, according to the report.