Veteran Nepalese mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa, also known as ‘Everest man’, has reached the summit of Mount Everest for an unprecedented 31st time, breaking his own world record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak.
The 55-year-old climber stood at the top of Everest on Tuesday, according to Seven Summit Treks, the expedition company that organized his climb. “Congratulations to the legendary Kami Rita Sherpa on his 31st successful ascent of Everest—the highest number of summits in history,” the company said in a statement.
Kami Rita, a mountain guide for more than two decades, first scaled the 8,848-meter peak in 1994. Since then, he has returned to the summit nearly every year, often guiding clients to the top.
“There’s no need to introduce Kami Rita Sherpa anymore,” Seven Summit Treks stated. “He is not only a national hero in mountaineering but a global symbol of Everest itself.”
In 2024 alone, Kami Rita has summited Everest twice, breaking his own record each time. Following his 29th ascent on May 12, he told Agence France-Presse, “I’m happy about this record, but records are meant to be broken.”
Mount Everest was first successfully climbed on May 29, 1953, by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Since then, over 8,000 people have reached the summit. In 2023, more than 800 climbers made the ascent, including 74 from the northern route through Tibet.
