Mera Peak Climb via Zatra La Pass in May

By May the Hinku Valley is at its greenest of the climbing season, with the trail from Kothe to Thangnak running through fully leafed forest lower down and open pasture higher up. Zatra La is essentially clear of snow by now on the day 4 crossing, one of the few months where the pass feels like a straightforward pass rather than a genuine test.

The glacier above Khare is at its softest and warmest of the entire year in May, which means the slowest, most tiring snow conditions on the summit dome but also, generally, the most forgiving crevasse bridges of the season, since the route has been walked and re-walked by climbing Sherpas for two months straight by this point. Turnaround times get watched carefully in late May, because warming daytime temperatures soften the upper snowpack fastest on the year’s longest, brightest days.

One small thing climbers notice in May and nowhere else: the stream crossings below Kothe run noticeably higher and louder than in October, fed by the first serious snowmelt off the surrounding ridgelines.

Comfortable, easing from April’s busier weeks. Kothe and Thangnak return to walk-in availability through most of May, though Khare stays reasonably active while later departures cycle through. Base Camp and High Camp usually settle back to one or two groups a night, a gentler, quieter version of the April mountain.

Flights typically continue from Ramechhap through May while spring volume lasts, though cancellation risk climbs as the month advances: building afternoon cloud shortens the flying day, and late-May mornings occasionally lose rotations to valley cloud at Lukla. Two buffer days becomes the honest recommendation for departures in the back half of the month, with helicopter fallback the usual paid escape from a backlog.