Who is Kami Rita? Nepalese sherpa climbs Mount Everest for the 31st time, breaks own record
According to Mingma Sherpa, chairman of the Seven Summit Treks, the expedition organiser, the 55-year-old Kami Rita stood at the top of the 8,849-meter summit at around 4 am on Tuesday under stable weather conditions.
The climber was guiding a team of the Indian Army Adventure Wing Everest Expedition led by Lieutenant Colonel Manoj Joshi, The Kathmandu Post reported.
'This new feat cements his status as the record holder for the highest number of ascents to the top of the world — a record that no one else has come close to,' Mingma was quoted as saying.
He further informed that Kami Rita is safe and stable after the summit, adding that the Sherpa has started his descent and is on his way back to the base camp.
"As always, Kami has demonstrated his unmatched skills and professionalism on the mountain. We are immensely proud of his achievement and the legacy he continues to build," he added.
In the last two years, Kami Rita has made successful ascents to Mount Everest twice each season, taking his total completed expedition tally to 30.
According to The Associated Press, Kami had tried to climb to the summit a few days ago but was forced to return due to bad weather.
Several hundred climbers have tried to climb Mount Everest from the Nepali side of the peak in the south this season, which will come to an end this weekend. The majority of expeditions to Everest and other nearby Himalayan peaks takes place in April and May, when the weather is most favourable.
Born in the Solukumbhi region, the Sherpa community's heartland that has long powered these expeditions, Kami Rita began his mountaineering journey in 1992 when he joined an expedition group to Everest as a support staff member.
He first climbed Everest in 1994 and has been returning to the world's highest peak nearly every year since.
Additionally, Kami Rita's father was among the first Sherpa mountain guides. Chhang Dawa Sherpa, expedition director at Seven Summit Treks, said that Kami developed a deep sense of passion for climbing at a young age and has been scaling peaks for over two decades now.
Over the years, he has grown to become one of the most famous Sherpa guides whose expertise is significant to the safety and success of foreign climbers aspiring to scale the Everest each year.
According to Chhang Dawa, Kami Rita has also scaled K2 and Mt Lhotse once each, Manaslu thrice, and Cho Oyu eight times between 1994 and 2025.
Kami Rita's closest competitor happens to be a fellow Sherpa guide, Pasand Dawa, who has made 29 successful ascents of Mount Everest.
New Zealand-based Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first ones to climb Everest in 1953.
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