Nepal’s ‘Everest man’ reaches peak for record 30th time
- Kami Rita Sherpa, 54, first scaled Everest in 1994 when working for a commercial expedition. He has since climbed the mountain almost every year
- But celebrations were overshadowed after a Romanian mountaineer was confirmed dead, and a British climber and Nepali guide were reported missing
A 54-year-old Nepali climber known as “Everest man” reached the peak of the world’s highest mountain for a record 30th time on Wednesday, three decades after his first summit.
Kami Rita Sherpa, who broke his own record after climbing the 8,849m (29,032ft) peak for the 29th time earlier this month, has previously said he was “just working” and did not plan on setting records.
“Kami Rita reached the summit this morning. Now he has made a new record with 30 summits of Everest,” Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, his expedition organiser, said.
But celebrations were overshadowed after a Romanian mountaineer was confirmed dead, and a British climber and Nepali guide were reported missing – the latest casualties highlighting the risks of the sport.
Sherpa first stood on the top of Mount Everest in 1994 when working for a commercial expedition.
Since then he has climbed Everest almost every year, guiding clients.
