By Our Correspondent
KATHMANDU, May 28: Among seventeen permitted teams for spring 2006, 194 mountaineers of 25 different countries scaled 8848m high Mt. Everest till Sunday the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation said.

According to the list of Summiteers of Spring 2006, Nepal is at the top with a total number of 104 mountaineers, USA 19 and UK 16.

Likewise mountaineers from other countries scaling the peak were India-6, Korea-6, Canada-5, Poland -5, Spain-4, New Zealand-4, Switzerland-3, Philippines-3, Australia-3, South Africa-2 and the remaining are from France, Scotland, Bolivia, Austria, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Italy and Belgium with a climber each.

Similarly Peter Roy Merley, 47 from UK from Handling Agency and Pasang Gelu Sherpa, 43 of High Altitude Worker of "Friendship Everest Expedition Spring 06" team climbed Everest at 8: 30 a.m. on May 24.

Marking May 29 as the day of the first ascent on Everest, the 'Everest Summiteers Association' has decided to give away this year's 'Sagarmatha Award- 2063' to Pem Dorji Sherpa and Moni Sherpa (Mulepati).

Before this, the Association had awarded lady mountaineer Pema Doma Sherpa, Lakpa Gelu Sherpa who scaled Mt. Everest in the shortest time, disabled mountaineer Nawang Sherpa and Pemba Dorji Sherpa, both of whom clocked the shortest time when reaching the top of Everest.

Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norge Sherpa made it to the top of Everest for the first time in the world's mountaineering history on May 29, 1953.