Nepali Sherpa Kami Rita, also known as the “Everest Man,” has broken his own record for the most climbs up the world’s tallest peak, Mount Everest, by scaling it for the 31st time. The 55-year-old, who was guiding a group of Indian army officials, reached the summit at 04:00 local time on Tuesday (23:15 GMT Monday).
Seven Summits Treks, the expedition organizer, described Kami Rita Sherpa as “not just a national climbing hero but a global symbol of Everest itself.” Kami Rita first summited Everest in 1994 while guiding a commercial expedition and has climbed the peak almost every year since.
In recent years, he has scaled the mountain twice, including in 2023 and 2024. His closet competitor for the Everest record is fellow Nepali Sherpa Pasang Dawa, who has summited the peak 29 times.
Kami Rita has previously stated that his climbs are simply a “work” and that he is more happy that his climbs help Nepal be recognized in the world.
Earlier this month, Kami Rita posted snippets of life on Everest, including the Puja ceremony, a Tibetan Buddhist ritual done before Everest expeditions to pray for a safe and successful climb.
Kami Rita’s achievement comes a week after British mountaineer Kenton Cool summited Mount Everest for the 19th time, breaking his own record for the most climbs for non-sherpa.
This climbing season, which is coming to an end, has seen over 500 people and their guides climb Everest successfully. Nepal issued over 1,000 climbing permits this season, including for Everest and other peaks, according to its tourism department.
However, the increase in the number of Everest summit attempts has raised concerns about overcrowding and environmental impact. To address this issue, authorities introduced a rule requiring climbers to clear up their waste and bring it back to base camp to be disposed of.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2y70xknnyo
