Kami Rita Sherpa, 55, a Nepali mountaineer who has climbed Mount Everest 31 times and holds the record for the most summits of the world’s highest mountain, smiles as he poses for a picture at Everest Base Camp as he prepares to climb Everest for the 32nd time to break his own record, in the Solukhumbu district, also known as the Everest region, Nepal, on April 29, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Nepal’s mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa made history on Sunday (May 17, 2026) by breaking his own world record for the highest number of ascents of Mt. Everest as he scaled the world’s highest peak for the 32nd time.
The 56-year-old veteran climber reached the 8,849-metre peak at 10:12 a.m. on Sunday (May 17, 2026), according to the Department of Tourism.
He was leading an expedition operated by 14 Peaks Expedition, it said.
The successful ascent was confirmed by the department’s field office stationed at Everest Base Camp, reported The Kathmandu Post.
The Department of Tourism congratulated Sherpa, saying his achievement reflects a significant contribution to Nepal’s mountaineering sector and its international profile.
Born in a village of Solukhumbu district in Koshi Province in January 1970, Kami Rita started the carrier as a professional mountaineer in 1992.
Kami had climbed Mt. Everest for the first time in 1994.
He made his 31st climb of Everest on May 27, 2025.
On Sunday (May 17, 2026), Lhakpa Sherpa, also known as the “Mountain Queen” and the first Nepali woman to summit Mt. Everest, broke her own world record by completing her 11th successful ascent of the peak.
She reached the peak at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday (May 17, 2026), the Department of Tourism said.
Published – May 17, 2026 12:39 pm IST
