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Two Nepali Sherpa climbers break own records on Mount Everest
TL;DR
Two Nepali climbers, Kami Rita Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa, have set new records on Mount Everest, with Kami achieving his 32nd summit and Lhakpa her 11th. This marks a significant milestone in Nepal's mountaineering history.
Key points
- Kami Rita Sherpa reached his 32nd summit of Mount Everest
- Lhakpa Sherpa achieved her 11th summit, a women's record
- Both climbers are renowned Nepali guides
- Their achievements mark a milestone in Nepal's mountaineering history
- The records promote safer and more dignified climbing
Mentioned in this story
Kami Rita SherpaLhakpa SherpaMount Everest
Two renowned Nepali guides have scaled Mount Everest with one called the “Everest Man” breaking his own record set last year with a 32nd climb and the other, known as the “Mountain Queen”, breaking her own women’s record with an 11th summit.
“This is another milestone in Nepal’s mountaineering history,” Himal Gautam, spokesperson for Nepal’s Tourism Department, told the AFP news agency on Sunday.
Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, first stood on top of the world’s highest mountain in 1994 while working for a commercial expedition. Since then, he has continued to guide clients climbing Mount Everest almost every year, reaching the summit twice in some years.
Lhakpa Sherpa, 52, first stood on top of Everest in 2000, becoming the first Nepali woman to successfully summit and descend the Himalayan peak.
“Their record gives greater excitement to other climbers,” Gautam said. “By breaking records through healthy competition on Everest will help make climbing safer, more dignified and better managed.”
In 2024, after another ascent of the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) peak, Kami Rita said he was “just working” and did not plan on setting records.
Kami Rita was born in the same Thame village in Solukhumbu district as Tenzing Norgay, who with Edmund Hillary was the first to climb Everest in 1953.
Since then, a climbing boom has made mountaineering a lucrative business.
Nepal has issued a record 492 Everest permits this year for the March-May climbing season. More than 8,000 people have climbed the mountain since Hillary and Norgay’s expedition, many of them several times.
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. Cool and Madison are currently on Everest to improve their records.
The high numbers of climbers along with their Sherpa guides who are expected to head for the summit in the next few days have rekindled concerns about overcrowding on the mountain, especially if poor weather shortens the climbing window.
Q&A
Who are the Nepali climbers that broke records on Mount Everest?
The climbers are Kami Rita Sherpa, who reached his 32nd summit, and Lhakpa Sherpa, who achieved her 11th summit.
What records did Kami Rita Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa break on Everest?
Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record for the most summits of Everest with his 32nd climb, while Lhakpa Sherpa set a new record for women with her 11th summit.
How has the achievement of these climbers impacted mountaineering in Nepal?
Their records inspire other climbers and contribute to making climbing on Everest safer and better managed through healthy competition.
