Guide to choosing an operator · Everest via South Col
How to choose the best guide for Everest (South Col)
Last updated
Reviewed by Blake Penson, Expedition Advisor
Two decades in the mountains, the Seven Summits and two Everest expeditions
Short answer
As of 10 Oct 2026, 11 operators have 66 verified client reviews for Everest via South Col on ExpedReview. Ranked first by those reviews is Climbing The Seven Summits (5.0★ from 14 reviews, latest Jun 2026), then Furtenbach Adventures (4.5★ from 18 reviews, latest Jul 2026) and IMG International Mountain Guides (4.8★ from 10 reviews, latest May 2022). Whoever you shortlist, compare the exact programme, not the brand: get the guide and Sherpa ratios, oxygen plan, rescue plan and turnaround rules in writing before you pay a deposit.
South Col in numbers
- Operators reviewed
- 11
- Verified reviews
- 66 · 19 in the last 24 months
- Average rating
- ★ 4.7 · 61 of 66 rated 4★ or more
- Review dates
- Jan 2019 – Sep 2026 · latest 6 Sep 2026
- Guide-listed starting prices
- $41,000–$88,501 USD. Only 5 of 11 operators show a current price (5 updated in the past 12 months). 4 operators on Basic plans and 2 unclaimed companies show no price. Starting prices, not quotes.
From ExpedReview verified reviews, as of 10 Oct 2026.
Operators ranked by their South Col reviews
Same order as the live South Col page: the star rating at this place, adjusted so one or two reviews, or only old ones, count for less than many recent ones.
| # | Operator | Stars here | Reviews | Review dates | Price shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Climbing The Seven Summits | ★ 5.0 | 14 | Jun 2019 – Jun 2026 | From $54,995 USD · updated Mar 2026 |
| 2 | Furtenbach Adventures | ★ 4.5 | 18 | Oct 2021 – Jul 2026 | From $88,501 USD · updated Jun 2026 |
| 3 | IMG International Mountain Guides Unclaimed | ★ 4.8 | 10 | Jan 2019 – May 2022 | No price shown |
| 4 | Dream Himalaya Adventures | ★ 5.0 | 5 | Jan 2025 – Jun 2026 | From $41,000 USD · updated Jan 2026 |
| 5 | Adventure Consultants | ★ 5.0 | 3 | Oct 2024 – Sep 2026 | From $83,000 USD · updated Jan 2026 |
| 6 | Summitclimb | ★ 4.7 | 6 | Jun 2021 – Oct 2023 | From $42,450 USD (listed up to $56,450 USD) · updated Sep 2026 |
| 7 | Pioneer Adventure | ★ 4.7 | 2 | Oct 2021 | No price shown |
| 8 | 360 Expeditions | ★ 5.0 | 1 | Feb 2021 | No price shown |
| 9 | Seven Summit Treks Unclaimed | ★ 4.8 | 1 | Jun 2022 | No price shown |
| 10 | Tim Mosedale | ★ 3.8 | 4 | Jan 2019 – Jul 2020 | No price shown |
| 11 | Elite Exped | ★ 3.6 | 2 | May 2020 – May 2024 | No price shown |
What to look for in a South Col operator
Two climbers can book the same company and get very different expeditions. Compare the programme you would actually buy, point by point, and ask every operator the same questions in writing.
Guide and Sherpa-to-client ratios
Ask how many clients each guide is responsible for, and whether you get a personal climbing Sherpa on summit day or share one. Nepal's 2025 rule change requires one guide for every two climbers on Everest and other 8,000 m peaks (Kathmandu Post, 5 Feb 2025), so treat that as a legal floor, not a selling point. Ask what the ratio is above the South Col, where it matters most.
Our reviews Personal Sherpa & ratios: mentioned in 6 of 66 reviews (5 in 4–5★ reviews, 1 below 4★); Sherpas & porters: mentioned in 33 of 66 reviews (30 in 4–5★ reviews, 3 below 4★).
Oxygen: amount, flow and backup
"Oxygen included" tells you nothing. Ask for the number of bottles allocated to you and to your Sherpa, the planned flow rate when climbing and sleeping, from which camp you start, and what spare masks, regulators and bottles are carried on summit day. Ask what happens to your supply if the summit push is delayed or you need a second attempt.
Our reviews Oxygen: mentioned in 11 of 66 reviews (11 in 4–5★ reviews, 0 below 4★).
Sherpa support, pay and insurance
The Sherpa team carries loads, fixes rope and climbs beside you. Ask how they are paid and equipped, whether they climb on oxygen when carrying to the high camps, and what insurance the operator holds for them. Nepal raised the minimum daily wages for high-altitude guides in its 2025 rule change (Kathmandu Post, 5 Feb 2025); a good operator will tell you how far above the minimum it pays.
Our reviews Sherpas & porters: mentioned in 33 of 66 reviews (30 in 4–5★ reviews, 3 below 4★).
Acclimatisation: rotations or pre-acclimatisation
The traditional plan spends more than a month on the mountain with several acclimatisation rotations between Base Camp and the higher camps (Kathmandu Post, 2 Sep 2025). Shorter programmes replace part of that with sleeping in a hypoxic tent at home. Either can work, but ask for the day-by-day plan, how many rotations you will do, who checks that your home pre-acclimatisation actually worked, and what happens if it did not.
Our reviews Acclimatisation: mentioned in 10 of 66 reviews (9 in 4–5★ reviews, 1 below 4★).
Rescue, helicopter evacuation and insurance
Ask who decides on an evacuation, how fast a helicopter can be called, who pays for it, and what costs continue afterwards (hospital, hotel, flights home). Then check your own insurance policy covers helicopter rescue and medical treatment at the altitude you will climb to, in writing. Ask whether there is a doctor at Base Camp.
Our reviews Rescue & helicopter: mentioned in 10 of 66 reviews (7 in 4–5★ reviews, 3 below 4★); Doctor & medical care: mentioned in 5 of 66 reviews (3 in 4–5★ reviews, 2 below 4★).
Group size
Ask for the maximum team size and how many teams share the Base Camp, kitchen and Sherpa crew. A large team can be well run, but you need to know how the guides and Sherpas are spread across it on summit day.
Our reviews Guides & leadership: mentioned in 43 of 66 reviews (40 in 4–5★ reviews, 3 below 4★).
Weather forecasting and summit-day decisions
Ask which forecast service the operator pays for, who reads it, and who has the final say on turnaround times. Summit windows can be short, and the day you pick affects how crowded the fixed ropes are.
Our reviews Weather & forecasting: mentioned in 11 of 66 reviews (8 in 4–5★ reviews, 3 below 4★).
Success and safety signals
Look for recent results with a denominator: how many clients started, how many summited, and what happened to the rest. Check the operator's history in the Himalayan Database, the independent record of Nepal Himalaya expeditions, including summits, oxygen use, deaths and accidents (himalayandatabase.com). Read the critical reviews as well as the glowing ones.
Our reviews Safety: mentioned in 34 of 66 reviews (31 in 4–5★ reviews, 3 below 4★); Summit: mentioned in 15 of 66 reviews (11 in 4–5★ reviews, 4 below 4★).
What South Col clients mention most
How many of the 66 verified reviews mention each topic. A review counts once per topic, whatever its star rating.
- Guides & leadership: mentioned in 43 of 66 reviews. 40 in 4–5★ reviews · 3 in reviews below 4★ · 10 of 11 operators
- Safety: mentioned in 34 of 66 reviews. 31 in 4–5★ reviews · 3 in reviews below 4★ · 9 of 11 operators
- Sherpas & porters: mentioned in 33 of 66 reviews. 30 in 4–5★ reviews · 3 in reviews below 4★ · 8 of 11 operators
- Food: mentioned in 24 of 66 reviews. 22 in 4–5★ reviews · 2 in reviews below 4★ · 7 of 11 operators
- Organisation & logistics: mentioned in 23 of 66 reviews. 22 in 4–5★ reviews · 1 in reviews below 4★ · 9 of 11 operators
- Value & price: mentioned in 16 of 66 reviews. 11 in 4–5★ reviews · 5 in reviews below 4★ · 8 of 11 operators
- Summit: mentioned in 15 of 66 reviews. 11 in 4–5★ reviews · 4 in reviews below 4★ · 7 of 11 operators
- Camp comfort: mentioned in 13 of 66 reviews. 12 in 4–5★ reviews · 1 in reviews below 4★ · 5 of 11 operators
- Tents & equipment: mentioned in 12 of 66 reviews. 11 in 4–5★ reviews · 1 in reviews below 4★ · 7 of 11 operators
- Oxygen: mentioned in 11 of 66 reviews. 11 in 4–5★ reviews · 0 in reviews below 4★ · 4 of 11 operators
- Weather & forecasting: mentioned in 11 of 66 reviews. 8 in 4–5★ reviews · 3 in reviews below 4★ · 5 of 11 operators
- Acclimatisation: mentioned in 10 of 66 reviews. 9 in 4–5★ reviews · 1 in reviews below 4★ · 5 of 11 operators
- Rescue & helicopter: mentioned in 10 of 66 reviews. 7 in 4–5★ reviews · 3 in reviews below 4★ · 4 of 11 operators
- Personal Sherpa & ratios: mentioned in 6 of 66 reviews. 5 in 4–5★ reviews · 1 in reviews below 4★ · 4 of 11 operators
- Doctor & medical care: mentioned in 5 of 66 reviews. 3 in 4–5★ reviews · 2 in reviews below 4★ · 3 of 11 operators
- Pace & itinerary: mentioned in 3 of 66 reviews. 3 in 4–5★ reviews · 0 in reviews below 4★ · 2 of 11 operators
- Altitude sickness & health checks: mentioned in 2 of 66 reviews. 1 in 4–5★ reviews · 1 in reviews below 4★ · 2 of 11 operators
- Tea houses & lodges: mentioned in 2 of 66 reviews. 2 in 4–5★ reviews · 0 in reviews below 4★ · 2 of 11 operators
- Communication: mentioned in 1 of 66 reviews. 1 in 4–5★ reviews · 0 in reviews below 4★ · 1 of 11 operators
- Flights & transfers: mentioned in 1 of 66 reviews. 1 in 4–5★ reviews · 0 in reviews below 4★ · 1 of 11 operators
Red flags
None of these proves an operator is unsafe. Each is a reason to stop and ask more questions.
5 of 66 South Col reviews are rated below 4★. Flags marked “From our reviews” come from what those clients wrote; we describe the practice, not the company.
- Ratios that are promised but not written down. Low-rated South Col reviews describe Sherpa support that was promised before the trip and then not provided on the mountain. Get the ratio for summit day in your contract. From our reviews
- A success rate with no denominator. Low-rated reviews question an advertised 100% success rate; one says it counted only clients who started the summit push, not everyone who signed up. Ask how the number is calculated. From our reviews
- No forecast of their own. Low-rated reviews describe a team borrowing other teams' weather information, and radios that did not work. Ask who supplies the forecast and how the team communicates above Base Camp. From our reviews
- No clear evacuation plan. One low-rated review describes a sick client having to organise their own medical evacuation. Ask for the evacuation process before you sign. From our reviews
- Vague oxygen claims. Oxygen "included" with no bottle count, flow rate or backup plan.
- No named leader. The company cannot tell you who will lead your team this season.
- Pressure to pay quickly. A large deposit requested before you have the inclusions, exclusions and cancellation terms in writing.
- A price far below the rest with no explanation. Ask what is left out: oxygen, Sherpa ratio, permit, insurance requirements or Base Camp services.
How we built this
- Verified reviews only. Every review is checked by our team before it is published. Critical reviews stay up.
- Tied to this place. Every figure on this page uses only the 66 reviews written for Everest via South Col, not an operator's reviews elsewhere.
- Same order as the place page. The ranking is the one on the South Col page.
- Prices. Shown only where a Pro operator set the price itself on ExpedReview; prices 1 to 3 years old carry a “may be out of date” note; older ones, and prices carried over from our old site that the operator never edited, are hidden.
- Themes. Counted by matching keywords in each review's title and text. A review counts once per theme.
- ERTI. The ERTI shown on operator profiles is a company-wide score out of 5, built from reviews we verify and many other factors. It is not a rating for South Col and is not used in the order above.
- Independence. No operator paid to appear on this page. Operators cannot pay to rank higher or to have reviews removed.
- Outside facts. Anything not from our reviews is linked to its source: Kathmandu Post, 2 Sep 2025, Kathmandu Post, 5 Feb 2025, The Himalayan Database (checked 11 Oct 2026).
From ExpedReview verified reviews, as of 10 Oct 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the best guide for Everest via South Col?
There is no single best operator for every climber. On ExpedReview's verified reviews for South Col, as of 10 Oct 2026, the highest ranked is Climbing The Seven Summits (5.0★ from 14 reviews, latest Jun 2026), then Furtenbach Adventures (4.5★ from 18 reviews, latest Jul 2026) and IMG International Mountain Guides (4.8★ from 10 reviews, latest May 2022). The ranking uses the star rating at this place, adjusted so a handful of reviews, or only old ones, count for less than many recent ones.
How many South Col operators and reviews does ExpedReview have?
11 operators with 66 verified client reviews, with an average of 4.7★. The reviews are dated 13 Jan 2019 to 6 Sep 2026; 19 of them are from the last 24 months.
What do South Col operators charge?
5 of the 11 reviewed operators show a current price on ExpedReview. Their guide-listed starting prices run from $41,000 USD to $88,501 USD. These are starting prices, not quotes.
Is the Everest permit included in the price?
Ask each operator. Nepal's spring (March to May) permit for foreign climbers on the south side is US$15,000 per person, in force since 1 September 2025 (Kathmandu Post, 2 Sep 2025). Get in writing whether it is in the price you are quoted.
How much oxygen should an Everest operator give me?
Ask for the exact number of bottles for you and your Sherpa, the planned flow rates for climbing and sleeping, the camp you start using it from, and the spare equipment carried on summit day. A clear written answer is a good sign; "oxygen included" on its own is not enough.
Do I need a personal Sherpa on Everest?
Nepal's rules now require one guide for every two climbers on Everest (Kathmandu Post, 5 Feb 2025). Many operators offer more, such as a personal Sherpa on summit day. Ask what the ratio is above the South Col and whether it is in your contract.
When is the South Col climbing season?
Spring. Nepal's main Everest permit season is March to May, and Everest is rarely attempted outside spring (Kathmandu Post, 2 Sep 2025). Most expeditions take around 50 to 60 days, as listed on our South Col place page.
Can operators pay to rank higher on ExpedReview?
No. Operators cannot pay to appear, to rank higher, or to have reviews removed. Every review is checked by our team before it is published, and critical reviews stay up.
What is ERTI?
ERTI is ExpedReview's company-wide trust score, out of 5, built from reviews we verify and many other factors. It is not a rating for South Col.
Next step
Read the reviews behind these numbers on the Everest via South Col page, then send your shortlist the same questions.
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