Drones are saving lives on world's highest mountain

For 22-year-old guide Lakpa Ringi Sherpa, this spring climbing season on Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, felt different.

The fear was still there. The dangerous Khumbu Icefall section remained as unpredictable as ever, with yawning crevasses beneath his feet and massive, unstable blocks of ice called seracs looming overhead. But unlike previous years, he did not have to make the dangerous journey through the icefall carrying heavy loads over and over again.

Instead of the usual eight to ten supply trips between Base Camp (5,364 meters) and Camp II (6,400 meters), Lakpa Ringi made only four.

The reason was not a safer route or calmer weather. It was a drone.

Traditionally, Sherpa guides leave base camp shortly after midnight carrying up to 15 kilograms of logistics supplies on their backs. The journey through the Khumbu Icefall to Camp I and onward to Camp II can take six to seven hours, often without rest.

"We never stop," Lakpa Ringi said. "The icefall section is too dangerous."

This year, however, most of the supplies destined for Camp I were flown by drone.

The result was dramatic. Tasks that once required hours of climbing and a team of high-altitude guides could now be completed in minutes.

"Every time we carried loads through the icefall, we prayed," Lakpa Ringi recalled. "Now the drone does most of that work."

His experience reflects a technological shift underway on Qomolangma, where drones are beginning to reshape one of the world's most dangerous occupations.

In 2024, Chinese drone manufacturer DJI conducted the world's first drone delivery test on Qomolangma. The company transported oxygen cylinders and supplies uphill while carrying waste downhill.

The trials demonstrated that drones could perform tasks traditionally undertaken by Sherpa guides in one of the most hazardous sections of the mountain.

The technology moved beyond testing in 2025, when drones began transporting supplies to Camp I.

This spring, drone-assisted logistics entered commercial operation.

According to mountain officials and drone operators, work that once required six to seven hours can now be completed in about ten minutes. In some cases, a single drone flight can replace the efforts of more than a dozen guides.

For many in the Khumbu region, the significance extends beyond efficiency.

"This is a lifesaving initiative," said Mingma Chhiri Sherpa, chairman of the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality, within whose jurisdiction the Qomolangma region falls.

"There is a huge risk even for a normal hike in the Khumbu Icefall. Imagine how dangerous it is when people are carrying heavy equipment and supplies. Technology can reduce that burden and save lives."

The Khumbu Icefall is widely regarded as the most dangerous section of the standard South Col route to Qomolangma. Stretching roughly 600 meters between Base Camp and Camp I, the constantly shifting glacier is riddled with deep crevasses and unstable ice towers that can collapse without warning.

According to government records and the Himalayan Database, nearly 50 people died in the Khumbu Icefall between 1953 and 2023.

For decades, Sherpa guides have shouldered the greatest risks there.

The danger was tragically highlighted in April 2014, when a massive ice collapse killed 16 Sherpa guides in the deadliest disaster in Qomolangma's history at the time.

The risks remained evident this year. A massive unstable serac blocked route preparations for nearly three weeks, delaying progress through the section.

The Icefall Doctors, the elite team responsible for preparing the route each spring, began work on March 16 and managed to secure a path only up to a critical point before the giant ice wall halted further progress.

For 19 days, drone imaging and aerial monitoring were used to assess the formation.

"Multiple site inspections and drone imaging sessions monitored the formation throughout the period," said Milan Pandey, cofounder of drone delivery company Airlift Technology.

The episode highlighted another emerging role for drones: reconnaissance and risk assessment.

Environmental protection

Their growing presence on Qomolangma is also helping tackle a long-standing environmental challenge.

This spring, Airlift Technology transported 3.5 metric tons of garbage from Camp I to Base Camp using drones.

"Altogether, we flew more than 10 tons of goods up and down," said Pandey. "Of that, 3.5 tons was garbage brought down from the mountain."

Much of the waste consisted of human waste bags.

Last year, local authorities made it mandatory for climbers to carry specially designed poop bags during their ascent to reduce contamination and improve sanitation on Qomolangma.

The initiative complements Nepal's broader efforts to clean the mountain. Since 2014, climbers have been required to return with at least eight kilograms of waste or lose a $4,000 refundable deposit. Proposed legislation would convert that deposit into a nonrefundable environmental fee dedicated to conservation and cleanup activities.

After the climbing season ended on May 29, drones conducted roughly 20 flights a day carrying garbage back to Base Camp.

Not everyone, however, views the drone revolution without reservations.

Some fear that expanding drone operations could eventually reduce employment opportunities for Sherpa guides and high-altitude workers.

Lakpa Ringi believes those fears are misplaced. He sees drones as partners rather than competitors.

For generations, Sherpas have carried the weight of Qomolangma on their backs, often at enormous personal risk. Now, as drones buzz above the shifting ice and crevasses of the Khumbu Icefall, some of that burden is finally being lifted.

"We don't want to carry loads through the icefall if we don't have to," he said. "Our main job is guiding climbers. The drone makes us more confident crossing the dangerous sections."

THE KATHMANDU POST, NEPAL