A single-file line of trekkers stretching along the trail to Everest Base Camp made headlines this week — but it isn't peak-season mania. The explanation is weather: Cyclone Anwar hit Nepal last weekend, dumping three days of snow and rain on the Khumbu and stranding everyone in Dingboche, two trekking days below Base Camp. When skies cleared on November 1, the whole crowd moved at once, producing heavy congestion on the stretch between Dingboche and Gorakshep. Local guide Ngima Sherpa of Osprey Adventure, who filmed the traffic jam, stressed this kind of queue is not the norm on the EBC route.
The same storm left the trail — usually dry at this time of year — buried in snow, and that's reshaping the season across the region. On trekking peaks, conditions have turned tricky: Satori Adventures turned back on Mera Peak after leader Furba Sherpa reported four to five feet of fresh snow making progress impossible above high camp. Ramesh Gurung also retreated from Lobuche East (6,119m), though he plans another attempt soon. The fix, guides say, is time: only once the snow settles and freezes in deepening winter cold will slopes firm up again.
Not everything is stalled. On Ama Dablam, Sherpa climbers managed to reopen the route to Camp 1 on Tuesday; the steep mixed ridge above carries less snow, and several teams are now in summit rotations expecting to top out within days.
There's also practical news for trekkers adding the popular Gokyo Lakes detour. Tenzing Sherpa of Gokyo Namaste Lodge warns that fresh snowfall has made the usual crossing of the huge Ngozumpa Glacier between Gokyo and Dragnag less reliable, and advises walking with locals on an easier line between the first and second lakes (Longbanga Tso and Taujung Tso). Good news too: the trail from Thame to Gokyo has been cleared and reopened by the Gokyo Lodge Association — though glacier conditions can shift fast. The Gokyo side trip is one of the Khumbu's finest, with high alpine lakes, glacier scenery and a direct look at Cho Oyu's formidable South Face.
Why it matters: if you're booked on an EBC trek in the coming weeks, expect snowier trails than usual for the season, possible delays and slower going on side routes — and consider building in buffer days or taking local advice on glacier crossings. Climbers eyeing Mera or Lobuche East may need to wait for the snowpack to consolidate.
