(Lebanon, N.H. – April 11, 2024) – Global Rescue, the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services, has deployed a team of specialists to Nepal to perform rescue operations during the Mount Everest 2024 spring climbing season where a record number of rescues are expected.

Record-breaking crowds are expected to converge on the Himalayan region. “About 600 climber permits have been issued for Mount Everest, a 30% increase over last year’s record of 463 permits distributed,” said Dan Stretch, a Global Rescue operations manager coordinating rescue activities for Nepal during the Mount Everest climbing season. Stretch has performed more than 500 evacuations and crisis response operations in the Himalayas.

Adding to the potentially crowded conditions on Mount Everest will be an additional 100 mountaineers attempting to summit from the Tibetan side. “For the first time in several years, Chinese authorities have opened up the Tibet side to 100 climbers. When you consider that each climber generally comes with support personnel and climbing sherpas there will likely be close to 2,000 people climbing Mount Everest this season,” Stretch said.

Crowded conditions can lead to an increase in rescue operations. “Overcrowding at high altitudes means more mountaineers exposed for prolonged periods in the death zone, and that increases the likelihood of climbers experiencing altitude sickness, frostbite and exhaustion,” Stretch said.

“During the two-month 2024 Mount Everest spring climbing season, there will usually be several rescue operations performed each day, keeping the deployment team busy from before dawn until nearly midnight. The busiest time is the two-week Mount Everest summit window when the medical and rescue operations team performs up to 25 rescues a day,” Stretch said.

Recovering climbers and trekkers is much more than a high-altitude mountain chopper rescue. Performing a rescue includes helicopter and ambulance transports, hospital admissions and looking after individuals admitted to a hospital for care. “The Global Rescue deployment team members are located in multiple areas to support individuals throughout their rescue, transport, recovery and safe return home,” Stretch said.

Airborne helicopter rescues will be a challenge this year, according to Stretch. “Due to several crashes in the past few years, the Nepalese civil aviation authorities are limiting pilots’ daily flying hours. It’s an important factor. Climbers should train and prepare to rely on themselves in the event helicopter rescues are limited,” Stretch advised.

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Contact Bill McIntyre at bmcintyre@globalrescue.com or 202.560.1195 (phone/text) for more information.

About Global Rescue

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last two decades. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.