Sherpa in 26th Everest ascent

A NEPALESE Sherpa guide has scaled Everest for the 26th time – breaking his own record for the most successful ascents of the world’s highest peak.

Kami Rita reached the 8,849-metre summit at 7pm on Saturday. He led a group of Sherpa climbers who fixed ropes along the route to help others reach the summit in the coming weeks.

Mr Rita and ten other Sherpas have now returned to lower camps, said Mingma Sherpa of Kathmandu mountaineering firm Seven Summit Treks.

Mr Rita, 52, first scaled Everest in 1994 and has been repeating the feat nearly every year since then. He has also climbed several other peaks including K2 and Lhotse.