Kami Rita breaks his own Everest climbing record

KATHMANDU: Kami Rita, a Nepalese Sherpa, smashed his own world record on Wednesday when he scaled Mount Everest for a whopping 23rd time.

Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Seven Summit Treks that organised his expedition, said Kami Rita reached the summit at 7.50 am local time.

The 49-year-old Kami Rita had climbed the Everest for the 22nd time last year, breaking the then record of 21 Everest ascents set by Sherpas Apa and Phurba Tashi in 2017. Since then, Apa and Phurba have retired.

The 2019 Everest climbing season began on Tuesday with eight high-altitude Nepalese climbing experts eyeing the highest peak in the world.

Kami Rita has already scaled most of the peaks that are above the 8,000-metre altitude level, including K2, Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Annapurna.

Mingma Sherpa said, “The climbers are now descending to the lower altitude camps safely. This (achievement) is Nepal’s pride - 23 successful attempts is beyond imagination.”

Kami Rita has been climbing the Everest since 1994. He missed out in 1995 when his client fell sick on the way to the summit following a deadly avalanche.

Last month before setting off for the Everest base camp, Kami Rita had said, “I don’t climb for world records, I just work. Earlier, I didn’t even know you could set climbing records.”

Ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around the Everest have become synonymous with highaltitude climbing, crucial for Nepal’s lucrative mountaineering industry, which nets the impoverished Himalayan country more than $4 million a year.

With their unique ability to work in a low-oxygen, high-altitude atmosphere, they are the backbone of the industry, helping clients and hauling equipment up Himalayan peaks.