Nepalese Sherpa climber Kami Rita, nicknamed the “Man of Everest”, summited the world’s tallest mountain for the 28th time this Tuesday, breaking his own record.
“Kami Rita reached the summit of Everest this morning for the second time (in a week). This is the 28th time,” said Thaneshwor Guragain of Seven Summit Treks, the expedition’s organization.
A day earlier, Nepalese Pasang Dawa, 46, equaled Kami Rita’s previous record, set last week, when he summited Mount Everest (8,849 meters) for the 27th time.
The two climbers have each climbed the “Roof of the World” twice this season, thrilling the climbing community.
Kami Rita has been a mountain guide for over 20 years and first climbed Everest in 1994 while working for a commercial expedition.
Since then, the veteran climber has climbed Everest almost every year.
Home to eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, including Everest, Nepal welcomes hundreds of climbers each season, when temperatures are warmer and winds are generally weaker.
For the 2023 mountaineering season, which ends in early June, Nepal has issued 478 permits to foreign climbers to climb Everest.
More than 500 climbers, including Nepalese guides, have attempted the ascent so far, according to the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism.
Most foreign climbers are usually accompanied by an ethnic Sherpa guide, so a record number of more than 900 people are expected to climb Everest this season.
Only ten climbers, including four Nepalese, have died this season on the world’s highest mountain.
The Himalayan mountaineering industry relies on the expertise of Sherpas, who typically hail from the Everest valleys.
They pay a high price for guiding hundreds of climbers every year. One third of Everest deaths are of Nepalese climbers.
Source: DN
