Kami Rita, Lhakpa Sherpa Extend Everest Records to 32 and 11 Summits

11 articles · Updated · DW (English) · May 17

Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, reached Everest’s 8,849-meter summit at 10:12 a.m. Sunday for a record 32nd ascent, while Lhakpa Sherpa, 52, made a record 11th summit in the women’s category.
Both Nepali climbers broke their own marks while guiding commercial expeditions, extending careers that began as porters before they became professional Sherpa mountain guides.
A record 492 permits have been issued by Nepal for this Everest season, and with most foreign climbers accompanied by at least one Nepali guide, about 1,000 people are expected on the mountain in coming days.
That surge has revived overcrowding fears because weather delays, unstable ice and Chinese restrictions on the Tibet side have narrowed the climbing window on the more popular Nepali route.
Everest remains dangerous despite increasingly frequent ascents: more than 320 people have died there since the first confirmed summit in 1953, with five to 10 deaths in an average year.

After 32 summits and a lifetime on Everest, will this record-breaking climb truly be Kami Rita Sherpa's last?

He's the 'Everest Man' with 32 summits. Why are Sherpa guides still paid a fraction of what Western guides earn?

With China's route closed and 492 permits issued, can new rules prevent another deadly season on an overcrowded Everest?