KATHMANDU — Kami Rita Sherpa, the legendary high-altitude guide known as the “Everest Man,” has extended his own world record by reaching the summit of Mount Everest for the 31st time.
The 55-year-old climber completed the ascent on Tuesday as the leader of an Indian Army expedition, once again cementing his status as the most accomplished Everest summiteer in history.
Expedition organizers Seven Summit Treks confirmed that he not only made the climb himself but also guided the final members of the team to the top.
“Kami Rita Sherpa needs no introduction,” the company said in a statement. “He is not just a national climbing hero, but a global symbol of Everest itself.”
The achievement comes more than 30 years after Sherpa first summited the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) mountain in 1994 while working for a commercial expedition.
Since then, he has climbed Everest nearly every year, mostly in his role as a guide for foreign clients.
In an interview last year following his 30th summit, Sherpa downplayed the notion of chasing records.
“I am just working,” he said. “I am glad for the record, but records are eventually broken. I am more happy that my climbs help Nepal be recognized in the world.”
Sherpa’s historic feat comes near the end of this year’s spring climbing season, a brief window when conditions on Everest are most favorable.
According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism, over 500 climbers and guides have reached the summit in recent weeks.
Remarkably, the season has seen only two fatalities—an Indian and a Filipino climber—marking one of the lowest death tolls in recent years.
Nepal has issued more than 1,100 climbing permits this season, including 458 for Everest alone, generating over $5 million in royalties.
The country is home to eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, and its Himalayan economy thrives on the annual influx of climbers seeking to scale them.
Tourism ministry official Himal Gautam called Sherpa’s milestone a reflection of Nepal’s growing stature in global mountaineering.
“Kami Rita Sherpa’s record ascent has helped to take Nepal’s mountaineering sector to the next height,” he said.
Earlier this month, British climber Kenton Cool also made headlines by completing his 19th Everest summit, the most by a non-Nepali.
But it is Sherpa’s continued dominance on the mountain that remains the enduring symbol of Everest’s modern era.
Since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa made the first successful ascent in 1953, Everest has become a commercial climbing hub.
Last year alone, more than 800 people reached its peak, including 74 from the Chinese-controlled north side.
For Kami Rita, Everest is not just a mountain—it’s a career, a national cause, and a lifetime journey to ever greater heights.
