Kami Rita Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa each reset their own Everest records: Kami Rita reached the summit for a record 32nd time, and Lhakpa recorded her 11th ascent. Nepal's Tourism Department called the achievements a milestone, saying healthy competition can improve safety and management. Nepal issued a record 492 permits this season and roughly 1,000 climbers may attempt the peak, sparking renewed concerns about overcrowding if weather shortens the climbing window.
Everest Records Reset: Kami Rita Reaches 32nd Summit; Lhakpa Marks 11th
A Nepali climber dubbed the "Everest Man", Kami Rita Sherpa, scaled Mount Everest for a record 32nd time Sunday (Prakash MATHEMA)(Prakash MATHEMA/AFP/AFP)
A pair of veteran Nepali climbers reset their own records on Mount Everest on Sunday. Kami Rita Sherpa, widely nicknamed the "Everest Man," reached the summit for a record 32nd time, while Lhakpa Sherpa — known as the "Mountain Queen" — extended her women's record with an 11th successful ascent.
"This is another milestone in Nepal's mountaineering history," Himal Gautam, spokesperson for Nepal's Tourism Department, told AFP.
Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, first stood atop Everest in 1994 while working for a commercial expedition and has returned nearly every year since, guiding paying clients. Lhakpa Sherpa, 52, first summited in 2000 and became the first Nepali woman to both summit and descend the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) peak successfully.
On Records and Motivation
After his latest ascent in 2024, Kami Rita said he was "just working" and did not intend to pursue records — a modest remark that contrasts with the global attention his tally attracts. Himal Gautam added that healthy competition driven by record attempts can help make climbs safer, more dignified and better managed.
Season Surge and Overcrowding Risks
Nepal issued a record 492 permits for Everest this season. A sprawling tent city has formed at the mountain's base to support climbers and support staff, and authorities estimate roughly a thousand people may attempt the summit in the coming days, since most climbers ascend with at least one Nepali guide.
The large number of climbers has revived concerns about overcrowding on key sections of the route, particularly if poor weather shortens the already narrow summit window and forces more teams to push for the top simultaneously.
Mountaineering has evolved into a lucrative commercial industry since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's first confirmed ascent in 1953, drawing tourists and guided expeditions from around the world.
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