Climbing Mount Everest is such a pinnacle of ambition for the world’s mountaineering fraternity that they are literally queueing for the honour of reaching the peak.

More than 100 climbers have already reached the top this week and a record of 75 people in a single day, approaching from the South Face, was set on Thursday. Among the climbers was Appa, a Sherpa guide, who stood on top of the world for a record 18th time.

The weather was closing in last night but climbers were still waiting their turn at the top, including the British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

The queue of climbers on and close to the peak was caused by a combination of Everest’s popularity and the logjam created by Chinese officials’ decision to close the summit temporarily on May 9 to allow the Olympic flame to be carried up.The ascent was broadcast live on Chinese television as five climbers took the flame to the top, their way having been eased by another team that had ascended the previous day to leave a rope along the route.

From the Archive: Everest conquered

A message was received from the British Mount Everest Expedition that E. P. Hillary and the Sherpa Tensing Bhutia reached the summit of the mountain, 29,002ft. high, on May 29

• Leading article

• First account of ascent

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The number of climbers currently awaiting their turn to head for the summit is a far cry from the heyday of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who in 1953 were the first to conquer Everest. Hillary and Tenzing had the summit to themselves, but where they first trod thousands of others have followed and the climb is no longer regarded by mountaineers as being at the cutting edge of the sport. About 3,800 people have already reached the 29,035ft (8,800m) peak.

Ramesh Chetri, a Nepalese tourism ministry official, said that the number of climbers reaching the top of Everest in one day had surpassed that on May 16, 2002, when 63 people made it. He said that the true figure may end up being higher as other reports were confirmed.

At least one climber died this week after reaching the top. Uwe Goltz, 44, of Avegno, Switzerland, was said to have died soon after beginning his descent on Wednesday. More than 200 people have died trying to climb Everest.

Before the weather closed in, 16 climbers – six foreigners and ten Sherpas – made it to the peak yesterday morning.

Sir Ranulph, 64, left base camp on Tuesday and traversed the “death zone” yesterday before stopping to rest before the final ascent, which he began last night. He hopes to raise up to £3 million for the cancer charity Marie Curie.

Nick Colton, of the British Mountaineering Council, said that despite Everest’s rising popularity it remained a challenging and dangerous mountain. “Climbing standards are always moving on. Some of the climbs that were cutting edge in their day are no longer cutting edge, but that doesn’t make them easy,” he said.

“This is an incredibly dangerous place. There’s lack of oxygen, poor weather, extreme cold and great altitude. Even for a guide it’s something to be taken very seriously . . . It’s the highest point on Earth. That’s what attracts some climbers.”

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