'Everest Man' and 'Mountain Queen' break own records scaling world's tallest peak

A renowned Nepali mountain guide has broken his own world record for the most summits of Mount Everest, after scaling the world's tallest peak for the 32nd time.

Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, known as the "Everest Man", was leading clients up the 8,849m (29,032ft) peak on Sunday when he set the new record.

On the same day, Lakpa Sherpa, 52, known as the "Mountain Queen", also broke her own record for the most ascents by a female climber, after her 11th Everest summit.

This climbing season has been especially busy, with a record number of permits issued to Everest aspirants and delays in opening the route to the peak.

Nepal's tourism department has congratulated both climbers for the "historic achievement".

So did Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who said that the climbers had "once again written history".

"Such historic success can only be achieved through unwavering courage, rigorous self-discipline, and honest dedication to one's work," he wrote on X.

Kami Rita Sherpa first summited Everest in 1994 and has made it to the peak almost every year since. Some years he's even scaled it twice.

According to his personal website, he was born in the Solukhumbu region of Nepal to a family of climbers.

In 2018 he became the first person to climb Mount Everest 22 times, breaking the 21-time record he previously held with two other Nepali Sherpa mountaineers, who then retired.

Kami Rita Sherpa summited Everest on Sunday while guiding clients for the 14 Peaks Expedition company.

As for Lakpa Sherpa, she first summited Everest in 2000, becoming the first Nepali woman to successfully reach the peak and descend the mountain.

She is also the subject of a 2023 documentary, titled Mountain Queen, about her multiple Everest summit climbs and life as a single mother.

Almost 500 foreign climbers have been granted permits to scale Mount Everest this year. Most attempt the ascent with at least one Nepali guide, who do not require permits.

Some have raised safety concerns of potential "traffic jams" on Everest after delays caused by a large, dangerous chunk of glacier blocking the route up the mountain from Base Camp in Nepal.