Nepali Sherpa Guide Summits Everest for 32nd Time, Setting New World Record

(Kathmandu, 17th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) A renowned Sherpa guide successfully summited Mount Everest for the 32nd time today, breaking his own world record set last year, according to Nepali officials. Reuters reported that 56-year-old Kami Rita Sherpa reached the 8,849-meter summit of Mount Everest while guiding clients for a mountaineering company. Nepal's Department of Tourism congratulated Kami Rita on achieving this "historic milestone" and for his contribution to promoting mountain tourism. According to a statement from the department, Kami Rita reached the summit at 10:12 AM today (12:27 PM Taiwan time). Additionally, 52-year-old female Sherpa Lhakpa Sherpa completed her 11th summit, setting a new record for the most ascents by a woman. Kami Rita first summited Everest in 1994 and has successfully climbed it almost every year since, except in 2014, 2015, and 2020 when climbing was suspended for various reasons. He has sometimes even summited twice in one season. Among non-Sherpa climbers, British guide Kenton Cool holds the record with 19 summits. Guiding foreign mountaineers up Everest and other high peaks is a major source of income for many Sherpa families, who are residents of the Solukhumbu region where Everest is located. For this year's March-May climbing season, Nepalese authorities have issued 492 permits to climb Everest, but three Nepali climbers have died on the mountain this month alone.