The Nepalese man Kami Rita Sherpa has broken his own world record by successfully summiting the highest peak on Earth, Mount Everest, for the 29th time.
In a statement to the press, a representative from Seven Summit Treks, a company specializing in organizing climbing expeditions in Nepal, confirmed that Kami Rita, 54 years old, reached the “roof of the world” on the morning of May 12, thereby breaking the record for the total number of summits of Everest.
Mr. Kami Rita in the Everest region of Solukhumbu, Nepal. (Photo credit: AFP/TTXVN).
Having worked as a climbing guide for over two decades, Mr. Kami Rita first summited Everest—the mountain standing at 8,849 meters above sea level—in 1994 while working for a commercial expedition. Since then, he has climbed to the summit of Everest almost every year.
Known as the “Everest Man”, Kami Rita was born in 1970 in Thame, a village in the Himalayas renowned for producing outstanding climbers. Nepalese mountain guides, often of the Sherpa ethnic group, are considered key contributors to the country’s climbing industry. The Sherpas are a minority ethnic group living in southern Nepal, descended from Tibet hundreds of years ago, primarily residing around the Everest region. As a result, they possess the ability to work at high altitudes in low-oxygen conditions—an environment that requires foreigners to take many days or weeks to acclimatize.
The Nepalese government has reported that it issued 414 climbing permits for Everest during this spring climbing season, which runs from April to June. Most climbers hoping to summit Everest are accompanied by Nepalese guides. This means that over 800 climbers are expected to attempt to reach the summit of Everest in the coming weeks.
Nepal, home to 8 of the 10 highest peaks in the world, has long been a favored destination for adventure climbers. Spring is considered the ideal season for high-altitude climbing due to the warm weather and calm winds. However, the increasing number of climbers in recent years has raised many concerns about the negative impacts on the environment and the safety of explorers. Recently, the Nepalese Supreme Court ordered a restriction on the number of permits issued for climbing Everest and other peaks.
