A Nepali sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest a record 24th time on Tuesday, an official said, his second ascent in just a week, and he has set his sights on one more climb before he retires.
Kami Rita Sherpa, 49, reached the 8,848 metre (29,029 feet) summit by the traditional southeast ridge route, guiding an Indian police team.
The route was pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953 and remains the most popular snow trail leading to the highest point on Earth.
Kami, who goes by his first name, conquered Mt. Everest 23rd time on May 15, becoming the only mountaineer in the world to hold the record for most Everest summits.
Two other climbers, both sherpas, have scaled Mt. Everest 21 times each. They have both retired from mountaineering.
Kami says he wants to climb the mountain one more time.
“I am still strong and want to climb Sagarmatha 25 times,” Kami told Reuters before leaving for his 23rd climb, referring to the Nepali name for Mt. Everest.
Kami has already climbed most of the peaks above 8,000 metres, including K2, Cho-oyu, Lhoste and Annapurna among others. He has been climbing Mt. Everest since 1994.
Hundreds of climbers flock each year to Nepal – home to several of the world’s highest mountains, to scale Himalayan peaks during the spring season that begins around March and ends in June.
According to Nepal Depatment of Tourism, more than 4,400 people have scaled the summit since Edmund Hilary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first conquered the mountain in 1953.
