Briton makes 19th ascent of Everest, most by a non-Sherpa
Kenton Cool first climbed Everest in 2004 and has since repeated the feat almost every year. (Reuters pic)
KATHMANDU : A British climber beat his own record today for the most climbs of Mount Everest by a non-Sherpa, making his 19th ascent of the world's highest mountain, a hiking official said.
Britain's Kenton Cool, 51, climbed the 8,849m peak in the morning and was descending to lower camps, said Rajan Bhattarai of Nepali expedition organising company Himalayan Guides.
Fellow climbers hailed the record as 'legendary'.
'His experience, charisma, and strength make him a valuable part of the Everest community,' said Adrian Ballinger of US-based Alpenglow Expeditions.
'He's just a great person to share stories from two decades on the mountain,' Ballinger, a nine-time summiteer of Everest now leading an expedition on the Chinese side of the mountain, told Reuters in a text message.
Cool first climbed Everest in 2004 and has since repeated the feat almost every year.
Today, he was accompanied by a Sherpa, Dorji Gyaljen, who logged his 23rd climb.
Another Nepali Sherpa, Kami Rita, holds the record for the greatest number of ascents of Everest by any person at 30.
Cool used the Southeast Ridge route, also known as South Col, which is the standard route to the summit pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
The route remains the most popular path among climbers.
Everest has been climbed by more than 8,000 people, many of them multiple times, since it was first scaled by Hillary and Norgay more than 70 years ago.
Mountain climbing is a major tourism activity and a source of income as well as employment for Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks, including Everest.
Nepal has issued 468 permits, each costing climbers US$11,000, for the climbing season that ends this month.
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Free Malaysia Today
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The Star
27-05-2025
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Nepali Sherpa scales Mount Everest for a record 31st time
FILE PHOTO: Kami Rita Sherpa, 53, a Nepali mountaineer, waves towards the media personnel upon his arrival after climbing Mount Everest for the 28th time, creating a new record for the most summits of the world's highest mountain, in Kathmandu, Nepal May 25, 2023. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar/File Photo KATHMANDU (Reuters) -Nepali Sherpa guide Kami Rita scaled Mount Everest for the 31st time on Tuesday, breaking the record he set last year. The 55-year-old reached the 8,849-metre (29,032 foot) peak - the highest in the world - by the traditional southeast ridge route while guiding a 22-member Indian army team, officials said, adding that 27 other Sherpas also accompanied the group. "He is a very passionate climber," said Pasang Phurba, director of the Seven Summit Treks company for which Kami Rita works, adding that Kami Rita was currently descending to lower camps. Kami Rita, who uses only his first name, first climbed Everest in 1994 and has done so every year except for three years when authorities closed the mountain to climbers for various reasons. More than 8,000 people have climbed Mount Everest since it was first scaled by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. After Kami Rita, another Sherpa, Pasang Dawa, has ascended Everest the most with 29 climbs. Among non-Sherpa climbers, the record is held by British guide Kenton Cool who has accomplished the feat 19 times, followed by American climbers Dave Hahn and Garrett Madison with 15 times each. One of the poorest countries in the world, Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks and is heavily reliant on climbing, trekking, and tourism for foreign exchange. Guiding foreign climbers to Everest and other peaks provides crucial family income to many Sherpas. Authorities have issued 468 permits to climbers for Everest this March-May climbing season, and more than 300 climbers and Sherpas have already scaled the peak, officials said. Two climbers are known to have died on the mountain this month and there have also been unconfirmed reports of other deaths. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
