KATHMANDU: On Sunday, a sherpa guide from Nepal ascended Mount Everest for the 26th time, according to expedition officials, becoming only the second person in history to accomplish the feat.
According to department of tourism official, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, 46, and Kami Rita Sherpa shared the record for most summits while standing atop the 8,848.86m peak.
If Kami Rita succeeds in reaching the summit of Everest, he might set yet another record.
According to a representative of Pasang Dawa’s employer, expidetion company Imagine Nepal Treks, they both made it to the top with a Hungarian client.
The official, Dawa Futi Sherpa, told Reuters that “they are currently descending from the top and are in good shape.”.
Sherpas are known for their climbing prowess and primarily earn their living by guiding foreign tourists through the mountains. They typically go by their first names.
The first foreign climber to reach the top of Everest this climbing season, which lasts from March to May, was a Pakistani woman named Naila Kiani, according to Dawa Futi. She also reached the summit on Sunday.
Since many foreign climbers are currently making their way to the peak, one day after the top ropes were fixed, it was impossible to independently confirm this.
467 permits, a record, have been issued by Nepal this year to foreign climbers attempting to reach the summit of Everest.
Because every climber is typically accompanied by at least one sherpa guide, there are concerns that the Hillary Step, a constrained area below the summit, may become crowded.
Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa first conquered Everest in 1953, it has been climbed more than 11,000 times, with about 320 people losing their lives in the process, according to the Nepali authorities.