Since 1997, SPCC has been contracted by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) to set the climbing route through the Khumbu Icefall. The Khumbu icefall is the section between Everest Base Camp and Camp II that passes over deep and dangerous crevasses. It is considered as the most difficult and dangerous part of climbing Mt. Everest. In every climbing season, SPCC recruits eight icefall doctors to set up the Khumbu Icefall Route used by mountaineers to climb Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Nuptse. Our icefall doctors’ team consist of highly skilled climbing Sherpas. Icefall doctors usually open the route in early April and close it at the end of May in the spring climbing season. As the icefall section is very unstable, icefall doctors monitor and maintain the route throughout the climbing period. 

Icefall Fee

Khumbu Icefall Route fee assessment committee (MoCTCA, NMA, ESA, TAAN, NMGA and SPCC) sets the fee for Khumbu Icefall Route. As per the revised fee applicable from spring 2014, each member of expedition team has to pay US$600 for using the route in spring climbing season and a combined sum of US$25,000/- for all climbers to set the route in autumn and winter season.