The Most Ascended Among All-Time Mountaineers
A veteran Nepali Sherpa (mountain guide) in his 50s set a new record by summiting the world's highest peak, Everest (8,848.86 meters above sea level), for the 30th time within 10 days, foreign media reported on the 22nd (local time).
According to reports, Kami Rita Sherpa (54) reached the summit of Everest on the morning of that day using the traditional route along the southeast ridge. Kami Rita's latest record came just 10 days after his 29th ascent of Everest on the 12th. With this, he became the mountaineer who has reached the summit of Everest the most times in history.
Kami Rita is known as the "Everest Man." He first reached the summit of Everest in May 1994, following his father, who worked as a climbing guide. Except for three years when the tourism authorities restricted climbing, he has guided climbers to the summit almost every year. He is also known to have climbed other peaks over 8,000 meters, such as K2, several times.
On May 15 and 21, 2019, he summited Everest twice within a week. Those were his 23rd and 24th ascents of Everest. Last May, he climbed twice again within a week on the 17th and 23rd, setting the record for 28 ascents. After setting the 29th ascent record on the 12th, he told AFP, "I am happy to set the record, but records are meant to be broken someday," adding, "I am more pleased that by climbing Everest, I help promote Nepal to the world."
Meanwhile, Sherpa is the name of an ethnic group in Nepal, a surname, and is also widely used to mean a climbing guide.
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