Nepalese climber Kami Rita Sherpa climbs Mt Everest for 30th time; second record in 10 days

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s veteran summiteer Kami Rita Sherpa made history on Wednesday by scaling Mt Everest for the 30th time, breaking his own record that he made 10 days ago for the highest number of ascents on the world's highest peak.

The 54-year-old legendary mountaineer reached the 8,849-metre peak at 7:49 am local time, according to Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, Chief Executive Officer at the 14 Peaks Expedition high-altitude sports company.

Kami summited the peak for the 29th time only 10 days ago.

"He has scaled Everest on May 12 for the 29th time," The Himalayan Times newspaper quoted Tashi Lakpa as saying.

Kami, a senior mountain guide at the 14 Peaks Expedition and Seven Summit Treks, climbed Mt Everest for the first time in May 1994, the report said.

He was born on January 17, 1970, and his mountaineering journey began in 1992 when he joined an expedition to the highest peak as a supporting staff.

Kami developed a deep passion for climbing from a young age and has been scaling mountains for over two decades, Tashi Lakpa said.

Besides Mt Everest, he has also conquered Mt K2, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and Manaslu.

Last year, he successfully scaled Mt Everest for the 27th and 28th times in the same season.

His closest rival, 46-year-old Pasand Dawa Sherpa of Solukhumbu, also completed his 27th summit of Everest last year.

Altogether, 414 climbers from 41 expeditions have acquired permission to scale Everest this season. Official data from 2023 showed that since 1953’s Hillary-Norgay summit, around 7,000 mountaineers have successfully scaled Mt Everest while over 300 have lost their lives.