A Nepali Sherpa guide has once again made history by scaling Mount Everest for an unprecedented 32nd time, breaking his own world record.
Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, successfully reached the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) summit on Sunday while leading clients from the 14 Peaks Expedition company.
Nepal’s Department of Tourism lauded the veteran climber for the “historic milestone” and his significant contributions to promoting mountain tourism.
The ascent was completed at 10.12am local time (4.27am GMT).
Sherpa woman Lakhpa, 52, also achieved a remarkable feat, completing her 11th ascent of the world’s highest peak, marking the most by any woman.
Further details of the climbs were not immediately available.
Kami Rita hails from Thame village in Solukhumbu district, the same birthplace as Tenzing Norgay, who, alongside New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary, made the first recorded ascent of Everest in 1953.
Kami Rita climbed the peak for the first time in 1994 and has repeated the feat every year except in 2014, 2015 and 2020 when expeditions to Everest were closed for different reasons.
He reached the summit twice in some years.
He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success each year of foreign climbers aspiring to stand on top of the mountain.
His father was among the first Sherpa mountain guides. In addition to his Everest climbs, Kami Rita has scaled several other peaks that are among the world’s highest, including K2, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.
More than 8,000 people have climbed Mount Everest, many of them several times, since it was first scaled by Norgay and Sir Edmund.
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 climbs each.
Mr Cool and Mr Madison are currently on Everest to improve their records.
Guiding foreign climbers to Everest and other peaks provides crucial family income to many Sherpas, natives of the Solukhumbu district where Everest is located.
