Clouds can form just above ground or at just about any level within the atmosphere. There are clouds far higher up than the top of mount Everest. Mt. Everest is 29,029 ft, whereas the highest clouds in that region reach 60,000 feet. The determining factor is a cloud on the ground is called fog. But they can form relatively low. So its not shocking to see the peak of mountains higher than some clouds. Fresh snow in the pictures taken during a summit bid may have been the outcome of weather happenings before the summit bid, as summit bids are almost never undertaken in poor weather. Also in a "storm snow", little snow really falls directly on the summit because of harsh conditions.
