Nepal's Kami Rita Sherpa sets new world record with 29th Everest ascent

Veteran Nepali climbing guide Kami Rita Sherpa set a new world record on Sunday by summiting the world's highest peak, Mount Everest (Chomolangma in Tibetan), for the 29th time.

The 54-year-old Sherpa, who was guiding foreign climbers, reached the summit of the 8,848 m peak at 7.25 am local time, said Khim Lal Gautam, field office chief of Nepal's department of tourism. "Kami Rita Sherpa made history on Sunday morning by climbing the peak 29 times," Gautam told Xinhua from the base camp.

Kami Rita first conquered Everest, situated on the border of Nepal and China, in May 1994, and scaled it for the 27th and 28th time within a week in May 2023.

Pasang Dawa Sherpa, another Nepali climbing guide, had achieved the feat for the 27th time. By Friday, 10 May, a total of 414 climbers had been permitted to scale Everest from the Nepali side during the spring climbing season, according to the department of tourism.

Ukrainian climber Valentyn Sypavin on Saturday morning became the first foreign national to scale Everest this spring season from the Nepali side.