Everest expedition faces delays as unstable serac keeps Khumbu Icefall closed
UK / AGILITYPR.NEWS / April 25, 2026 / British mountaineer Kenton Cool, currently preparing for what would be his 20th summit of Mount Everest, has shared an update from Base Camp as the Khumbu Icefall remains closed due to an unstable serac (hanging block of ice) blocking the climbing route to Camp 1 and Camp 2.
The Icefall Doctors, the specialist Sherpa team responsible for opening and maintaining the route, have so far been unable to establish a safe path through the Icefall. Their preferred line is directly threatened by the serac, which has not yet collapsed, forcing all teams to remain at Base Camp.
Kenton explained that the closure is now more than two weeks later than normal, creating significant knock‑on effects higher on the mountain. Climbers have been unable to begin acclimatisation rotations, and camp‑building and load‑carrying operations are on hold until a safe route is found.
The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) and the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal (EOAN) have deployed a specialist Sherpa team back into the Icefall to reassess conditions and search for an alternative route. Depending on this assessment, one of two outcomes is expected:
• A route is opened within the next several days, allowing the season to move forward, albeit behind schedule.
• The Icefall remains closed, potentially ending the climbing season before summit bids begin.
Kenton emphasised that decisions must be led by safety considerations: “With the memory of 2014 still in everyone’s minds, safety has to come before everything else. The mountain will decide and we have to listen.”
Further updates will follow as the situation develops at Everest Base Camp.
Check out Kenton Cool's LinkedIn feed for updates. Ready to use Kenton Cool quotes:
"The Khumbu Icefall is currently closed with a potentially unstable serac - a hanging ice cliff - barring progress to Camp ! and Camp 2".
"The Icefall Doctors; the Sherpas who open the route through the icefall, have been struggling to find a safe route. Their preferred route is threatened by the serac which they've deemed too dangerous for Sherpas and clients to navigate".
"The icefall is now more than two weeks late opening, which is delaying work higher on the mountain. This means delays in establishing and stocking camps, prevention of climbers from acclimatising all of which could increase crowding when and if the Khumbu Icefall opens".
"Depending on today's assessment, either a route is forced through in the next 3-5 days or the season effectively ends before it's begun".
"With the memory of 2014 still in people's minds when 11 Sherpas were swept to their deaths, safety is at the forefront of everyone's thinking. Any decision needs to be based on what is safe above all else".
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