Kami Rita Sherpa, one of Nepal’s most experienced mountain guides, has climbed Mount Everest for a record 32nd time, breaking his own mark for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak.
The 56-year-old Nepali Sherpa reached the 8,849-metre summit at 10:12am local time on Sunday while guiding clients for 14 Peaks Expedition, Nepal’s Department of Tourism said. His latest climb adds to a career that has made him one of the most prominent figures in Himalayan mountaineering.
The department congratulated Kami Rita on what it described as a historic milestone and acknowledged his contribution to promoting Nepal’s mountain tourism industry.
A Sherpa woman, Lakhpa, 52, also reached the summit for the 11th time, the highest number of Everest ascents by a woman, according to the department. Further details of the climbs were not immediately available.
Kami Rita’s Everest record
Kami Rita was born in Thame village in Nepal’s Solukhumbu district, the same region associated with Tenzing Norgay, who, along with New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary, became the first climber confirmed to reach Everest’s summit in 1953.
Kami Rita first climbed Everest in 1994 and has returned almost every year since, except in 2014, 2015 and 2020, when expeditions were halted for different reasons. In some years, he reached the summit twice.
More than 8,000 people have climbed Mount Everest since the first successful ascent by Norgay and Hillary, with many climbers reaching the summit multiple times.
Everest climbing season
Among non-Sherpa climbers, British guide Kenton Cool holds the record with 19 Everest ascents, followed by American climbers Dave Hahn and Garrett Madison with 15 each. Cool and Madison are currently on Everest seeking to improve their records.
Guiding foreign climbers on Everest and other Himalayan peaks remains a major source of income for many Sherpa families in Solukhumbu, where the mountain is located.
Nepalese authorities have issued 492 permits for Everest during the March-May climbing season. Three Nepali climbers have died on the mountain this month.
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