KATHMANDU: Within a single week of the climbing route opening, over 250 mountaineers and their Sherpa guides successfully summited Mt. Everest and returned to base camp.

With only ten days remaining in the spring climbing season, favorable weather has triggered a massive rush toward the peak, drawing around 200 climbers on Wednesday alone.

Officials note that if the clear weather holds, this season could see a historic record for the highest number of successful ascents.

For this spring season, the Department of Tourism issued permits to 1,181 climbers for 30 different peaks, with a majority of 494 climbers from 55 nations targeting Everest.

This mountaineering boom generated Rs 1.25 billion in total revenue, with Everest alone contributing the bulk at Rs 1.07 billion.

The intense climbing activity has also driven a flurry of new mountaineering milestones.

Just two days after the world-renowned Kami Rita Sherpa secured his record-extending 32nd summit and Lhakpa Sherpa her record 11th summit, 49-year-old Pasang Dawa Sherpa reached the peak for the 30th time.

This feat cements Pasang Dawa—who first scaled the mountain in 1998—as the person with the second-highest number of Everest ascents in history.