Kathmandu, May 27 - Nepali Sherpa guide Kami Rita on Tuesday conquered Mount Everest for the 31st time, breaking his own record for successfully climbing the world's highest peak the most times.
The 55-year-old mountaineer reached the summit of the 8,849-meter peak at 4 am, said Mingma Sherpa, head of the expedition's organizer, Seven Summit Tracks. He led a team for the Indian Army's 'Adventure Wing Everest' expedition led by Lieutenant Colonel Manoj Joshi.
“This new achievement strengthens his position as the record holder for the most summits in the world – a record that no one has come close to matching,” the daily Kathmandu Post quoted Mingma as saying. “Kami Rita is safe and sound after reaching the summit. He has started his descent and is returning to base camp,” he said. “Kami has always demonstrated his unparalleled skill and professional approach on the mountain. We are very proud of his achievements and the legacy he is creating,” Mingma said. Chang Dawa Sherpa, Expedition Director of Seven Summit Treks, said Kami Rita had a passion for mountaineering since a young age and has been climbing mountains for more than two decades. His mountaineering journey began in 1992 when he joined an expedition to climb Everest as a support staff.
Dawa said that between 1994 and 2025, Kami Rita climbed K2 and Mount Lhotse once each, Manaslu three times and Cho Oyu eight times. Every year hundreds of climbers from Nepal attempt to climb Mount Everest. Everest was first climbed in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.