Everest Expedition Operators 2027: Ten Companies, Prices and Guide Ratios Compared
Ten companies will take you up Everest in 2027 for between US$45,000 and €199,000. The difference is not the mountain. It is who guides you on summit day, how much oxygen you get, and what the fee quietly leaves out.
In this guide
Ten operators, side by side
Prices are per client, in the currency the operator quotes, taken from the operator's own price page on 14 September 2026 where one exists; where it does not, the table says so and names the source. Guide ratios and oxygen policy are quoted from the operator. Each name links to the Everest page.
| Operator | 2027 price | Guide ratio | Oxygen, acclimatisation, record | Included and excluded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furtenbach AdventuresAustria · Flash and Classic, north and south | Classic €77,400 · Flash €105,900 (21 days) · Signature 1:1 IFMGA guide €199,000 (2026 prices) | 1 Western IFMGA guide to 4 clients plus 2 climbing Sherpas per client | Unlimited oxygen at up to 8 litres a minute from Camp 2; 6–8 weeks in a hypoxic tent at home; helicopter to Mera Peak for acclimatisation | Permits included; international flights excluded. Flash 1–21 May 2027; autumn 16 September–6 October 2027 |
| Alpenglow ExpeditionsUSA · Rapid Ascent, north side | About US$110,000 (third-party figure; the company quotes on enquiry) | Not published | Hypoxic pre-acclimatisation cuts the expedition by 30–50 per cent; 36 days, 25 April–30 May 2027 | Tibet permit and access for foreigners in 2026 was restricted; check before committing to a north-side programme |
| Madison MountaineeringUSA · south side | South Col US$79,500 (42 days) · Express $85,000 (30 days) · Super Express $128,950 (18 days) · Everest–Lhotse $98,975 | Not published | Oxygen from Camp 2; flow rate not stated. 18 Everest expeditions led by Garrett Madison, 15 personal summits; 25 client summits in 2025 | Permits included; airfare and evacuation insurance excluded; optional helicopter Base Camp to Kathmandu about US$2,000. Deposit US$25,000 |
| International Mountain GuidesUSA · south side | Classic US$54,000 · Hybrid $72,000 · Private $123,000 (2025 prices; 2027 on enquiry) | Classic 1:1 Nepalese guide · Hybrid 1:2 · Private 1:1 senior IMG guide | 3 litres a minute from Camp 2 on Classic, 4 on Hybrid summit day, more on Private. About 51 days | 605 summits from 28 expeditions since 1991; roughly 85 per cent of clients reaching the South Col go on to summit |
| Climbing the Seven SummitsUSA · south side | Sherpa Supported US$62,995 · IFMGA team $64,995 · Personal Sherpa $67,995 · Private Sherpa or Western team $79,995 · Private international guide $134,995 | IFMGA team capped at 5 clients per guide; private tiers 1:1 | About 58 days; oxygen allocation per tier, extra bottles charged | Nepal permits included; flights, visa, insurance, Kathmandu meals and tips excluded |
| Adventure ConsultantsNew Zealand · south side | US$83,000 (52 days, 9 April–30 May 2027); Fast Track with hypoxic prep to about $95,000 | 1 Western guide to 4 clients; 1:1 Sherpa on summit day | High-flow oxygen from Camp 2 included; 419 client summits; 31st Everest expedition in 2027 | Permits and in-Nepal helicopter included; airfare, Kathmandu hotel, visa, insurance and tips excluded |
| Alpine Ascents InternationalUSA · south side | South Col US$80,000 (51 days, 5 April–25 May 2027) · Speed Ascent $80,000 (35 days) · Everest–Lhotse $97,000 | Not published | Speed Ascent uses pre-acclimatisation; Camp II training programme $18,000 | Permits included |
| Mountain ProfessionalsUSA · south side | US$79,000 (45 days) | Summit-day guide-to-client ratio stated as better than 1:1 | 63 client summiters; Ryan Waters has 9 Everest summits | Permit and oxygen detail not published on the trip page |
| Elite ExpedNepal and UK · Nimsdai Purja | Standard from US$45,000 (55 days) · Elite $65,000 · Fast-Track $100,000 (29 days) · Everest–Lhotse $90,000; price year not stated | Not published | North-side programme also offered | Permit included |
| Seven Summit TreksNepal · Kathmandu · south side | On quotation; tiers from Classic to VIP. Independent estimates run from about US$50,000 to $120,000, VIP higher | Varies by tier | The largest permit-holder on the mountain most seasons; 50–53 days | Local operator; the price advantage is real, the guide ratio and oxygen allocation depend on the tier you buy |
No operator on this page has paid to appear. Placement on this publication's comparison pages is labelled where it applies.
Two companies that appear on older lists are not here. Himalayan Experience, Russell Brice's operation, does not appear in the 2026 season reporting and we could not confirm a 2027 Everest programme. Jagged Globe's Everest page is marked as archived. Neither is criticism; both are absences we could not resolve, and we would rather leave a gap than list a programme that may not run.
What the entry price buys, and what it does not
The spread from US$45,000 to $83,000 at entry level is mostly three things: who guides you on summit day, how much oxygen you are allocated, and how many clients each guide carries. IMG's tiers make it explicit: Classic at $54,000 gives a 1:1 Nepalese guide and 3 litres a minute from Camp 2; Hybrid at $72,000 raises the summit-day flow to 4; Private at $123,000 gives a senior Western guide and more oxygen again. Every operator has a version of that ladder even where it is not published, which is why "how much oxygen and at what flow" is the first question to ask. Our full cost breakdown covers the lines outside the operator fee.
The fee excludes more than it includes. International flights, evacuation and repatriation insurance (now compulsory), the Kathmandu hotel, Sherpa-team tips, which run to four figures, and personal equipment sit outside every price on this page. High-altitude insurance is the one to buy first; check the altitude ceiling on the policy before anything else.
The 2027 rulebook
The season is governed by the Nepal rules that took effect on 1 September 2025 and that Alan Arnette summarised at the time: a US$15,000 spring permit, one guide for every two foreign climbers, a medical certificate no more than a month old, a non-refundable US$4,000 waste fee, compulsory body-repatriation insurance and summit photographs to be filed within three months. The much-discussed requirement to have summited a 7,000-metre peak first was proposed in the same bill and, per Arnette's 2026 season summary, has still not been enacted.
The north side is the open question for 2027. China reopened Tibet to foreign expeditions in late 2024, then in spring 2026 admitted only a Chinese national team. Alpenglow and Furtenbach both sell north-side programmes; ask what happens to your deposit if the permit is refused.
How to choose between them
If you want the shortest time away
Furtenbach's Flash at 21 days, Madison's Super Express at 18 and Alpenglow's Rapid Ascent at 36 all rely on weeks of hypoxic-tent sleep at home first. The premium is US$5,000 to $50,000 over the same company's standard tier and the physiology is now well established; the Furtenbach xenon programme of 2025, covered by CNN and criticised by the UIAA, is the controversial extreme of it and is not on the company's current trip pages.
If you want the longest record
IMG has run Everest since 1991 and publishes 605 client summits; Adventure Consultants, founded by Rob Hall, publishes 419 and enters its 31st expedition. Both publish ratios and oxygen policy, which is rarer than it should be. Madison publishes its 2024 and 2025 results.
If price is the constraint
Elite Exped from US$45,000 and CTSS's Sherpa Supported tier at $62,995 are the published floor among companies with a Western management layer; Seven Summit Treks will usually quote below both. The trade is a personal Sherpa rather than a Western guide, a lower oxygen allocation and a larger team. That is a legitimate way to climb the mountain, and the reason to read the oxygen line before the price line.
The honest caveat: operator summit rates are self-reported and none of these companies publishes a fatality record. The Himalayan Database is the only independent record and is worth an hour before a US$80,000 decision. Kilimanjaro is the sensible rehearsal for anyone who has not yet been above 5,500 metres.
Questions climbers ask
How much does it cost to climb Everest in 2027?
Published 2027 entry-tier prices run from about US$45,000 with Elite Exped and US$63,000 with CTSS to US$79,000–83,000 with Madison, Mountain Professionals, Alpine Ascents and Adventure Consultants. Private one-to-one Western guiding costs US$123,000–135,000, and Furtenbach's Signature tier is €199,000. The Nepal permit alone is US$15,000.
What does the Everest permit cost now?
US$15,000 per foreign climber for the spring season, up from US$11,000 on 1 September 2025. Autumn is US$7,500 and winter or monsoon US$3,750. The same rules added a mandatory guide for every two foreign climbers, a medical certificate dated within a month, a non-refundable US$4,000 waste fee and compulsory body-repatriation insurance.
Do you need to have climbed a 7,000-metre peak first?
Not yet. The requirement was proposed in a 2025 bill and had still not been enacted at the end of the spring 2026 season. Most reputable operators require a prior 6,000–8,000-metre climb anyway; the ones on this page will tell you what they expect before taking a deposit.
What happened on Everest in spring 2026?
Nepal issued 495 permits and the mountain recorded 1,008 summits, a record, with five deaths on Everest and two on Makalu. Sherpa guide Dawa Sherpa was found alive after four days following a crevasse fall. The north side opened only to a Chinese national team.
What is a flash or rapid-ascent Everest expedition?
A programme that replaces the traditional six to eight weeks of acclimatisation on the mountain with six to eight weeks of sleeping in a hypoxic tent at home, then a short, helicopter-assisted expedition of three to five weeks. Furtenbach, Alpenglow, Madison, Alpine Ascents and Elite Exped all sell a version at a premium of US$5,000 to $50,000 over their standard tier.
Is xenon gas used on Everest?
Furtenbach used xenon in a May 2025 preparation programme that put a British team on the summit within about five days of leaving London. The UIAA medical commission stated in January 2025 that there is no evidence xenon improves performance and warned of its risks as an anaesthetic; Furtenbach disputed that. The company's current Flash pages do not mention xenon.
What is the difference between a Western-guided and a Sherpa-supported expedition?
Price and who makes the decisions on summit day. A Sherpa-supported tier (IMG Classic, CTSS Sherpa Supported, Seven Summit Treks Classic) gives you a personal Sherpa and shared logistics for US$45,000–63,000. A Western-guided tier adds an IFMGA or equivalent guide at a ratio of one to four or better, for US$79,000 and up. The oxygen allocation usually rises with the tier.
Prices, ratios and dates were taken from operator sites and named sources on 14 September 2026 and will change; links go to the source. Booking.com, GetTransfer and Airalo links are affiliate links and are marked as such; no operator on this page has paid for inclusion. See the disclosure page.