Where will “the man from Everest” stop? The Nepalese mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa (53) reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world for the 28th time on Tuesday, which allows him to beat his own record. And this… a day after his compatriot Pasang Dawa Sherpa equaled that number of Everest ascents. “Kami Rita Sherpa summited Everest for the second time in a week this morning. It’s his 28th time,” said Thaneshwor Guragain of Seven Summit Treks, the organization of his expedition, on Tuesday.
The day before, the Nepalese Pasang Dawa Sherpa (46 years old) had therefore reached the summit of Everest (8,849 m) for the 27th time. Seeing these two mountaineers each climb the “Roof of the World” twice this season captivated the mountaineering community. A mountain guide for more than twenty years, Kami Rita Sherpa had successfully climbed Everest for the first time in 1994, while working for a commercial expedition.
Ten climbers, including four Nepalese who died this season
Since then, this seasoned climber has climbed Everest almost every year, including leading the first roped party to open the access route to the summit. Nepal is home to eight of the ten highest peaks in the world, including Everest, and welcomes hundreds of climbers each season, when the temperatures are milder and the winds generally weaker.
For the 2023 mountaineering season which ends in early June, Nepal has issued 478 permits to foreign mountaineers for the ascent of Everest. And already more than 500 mountaineers, Nepalese guides included, have undertaken its ascent, according to the Ministry of Tourism. With most foreign climbers usually accompanied by a guide, more than 900 people are expected to climb Everest during the season, which is a record.
Ten climbers, including four Nepalese, have died on the world’s highest mountain this season. The mountaineering industry in the Himalayas relies on the experience of Sherpas, usually from the valleys of Everest. They pay a heavy price to accompany hundreds of mountaineers each year. A third of the dead on Everest are indeed Nepalese climbers.