Nepalese climber Kami Rita Sherpa, 54, is on the way to summit Mt. Everest (8,848.86 meters) for the 29th time this year. If he succeeds, Kami Rita will again set a new record by breaking his previous record for the highest number of Mount Everest summits.
“I am going to climb Sagarmatha; I have no other purpose,” Kami Rita said, “I have only continued the profession of mountain climbing, I have not climbed for a record.”, Kami Rita Sherpa
Kami Rita Sherpa holds the Nepalese flag on the mountain. Photo courtesy of Kami Rita Sherpa.
Kami Rita Sherpa, a senior climbing guide, has his name written in history books with the 28th climb to Mount Everest Summit. Now, he is already at Everest Base Camp, preparing to climb the highest peak for the 29th time. The legendary mountaineer is there as a part of the group with 28 of his clients from Seven Summit Treks Pvt. Ltd.
“This year, I have set out to climb Sagarmatha for the 29th time. I have no plan of climbing Sagarmatha any specified number of times. Let me ascend the summit,” the record-holding climber said when asked how many times he would be climbing.
Kami Rita Sherpa climbed the highest peak for the 27th time at 8:30 a.m. (local time) with his team on May 17, 2023. The record was matched by Pasang Dawa Sherpa reaching the summit of the highest mountain on May 22, 2023. But Kami Rita again scaled the highest peak for the 28th time on May 23, 2023, at 9:20 a.m., claiming the title for himself.
His record has gained global attention and will likely bring more trekkers to Everest Base Camp.
Kami Rita Sherpa’s Mt. Everest Climbing History
Kami Rita climbed Mt. Everest for the first time on May 13, 1994, from the south side as a high-altitude worker. Since then, it’s been his 27th time climbing the same mountain, breaking history repeatedly. His last summit, i.e., the 26th ascent of Everest, was on May 7th, 2022, at 52 years old.
This year, the mountaineering beast, Kami Rita Sherpa, broke his own Mt. Everest records for the highest number of climbs on the world’s highest mountain. Besides his Everest climb, he has scaled Cho-Oyo eight times, Manaslu three times, and Lhotse and K2 once each.
Kami Rita’s Everest Expedition Timeline:
- 1994: Summited on May 13 via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 1995: Reached up to 8500 metres
- 1997: Summited on 25 May, via S Col – SE Ridge
- 1998: Summited on 25 May, via S Col – SE Ridge
- 1999: Summited on May 13 via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 2000: Summited on 23 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2002: Summited on 25 May, via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2003: Summited on May 30 via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 2004: Summited on May 24 via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 2005: Summited on 30 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2006: Summited on 20 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2007: Summited on 22 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2008: Summited on 24 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2009: Summited on May 5 and 23, via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 2010: Summited on May 5 and 24, via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 2012: Summited on 18 May, via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2013: Summited on 10 May and 22 May, via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2015: No summit bid due to the Earthquake
- 2016: Summited on 20 via N Col – NE Ridge
- 2017: Summited on May 27 via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 2018: Summited on 16 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2019: Summited on 15 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2019: Summited on 21 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2021: Summited on May 7 via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 2022: Summited on May 7 via S Col.-SE Ridge
- 2023: Summited on 17 via S Col – SE Ridge
- 2023: Summited on 23 via S Col – SE Ridge
Personal life of Kami Rita
The mountain man, Kami Rita Sherpa, was born in 1970 AD in the village of Thame, Solokhumbu district. Now, he lives in Kathmandu with his wife and two children. Although his father and brothers all worked as Sherpa guides, he wished to do other jobs. He once told the journalist, “We were poor and deprived of better education back then, so I had to choose this dangerous occupation as a means of survival. But now I am enjoying it”. But his family doesn’t want him to take risks repeatedly.
His wife, Lakpa Jangmu, is happy about his accomplishments but doesn’t want him to take risks again and again. “I keep telling him we could look for other jobs or start a small business. But he does not listen to me at all,” she said. Lakpa also stated that her children will not become mountain guides, as it invites many challenges and risks.
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