ISTANBUL

Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest for a record-breaking 31st time early Tuesday, extending his own world record for the most successful ascents of the world’s tallest mountain.

According to the Kathmandu Post, the 55-year-old climber stood atop the 8,848-meter (29,029-foot) peak around 4 am local time (2215GMT Monday), while leading the Indian Army Adventure Wing Everest Expedition.

Mingma Sherpa, from the organizing company Seven Summit Treks, confirmed the achievement and described Kami Rita as the undisputed record-holder.

“This new feat cements his status as the record holder for the highest number of ascents to the top of the world — a record that no one else has come close to,” he said. “Kami Rita is safe and stable after his summit. He has started his descent and is on his way back to base camp.”

Nicknamed the "Everest Man," Kami Rita first summited the mountain in 1994 and scaled it twice in 2023. His closest rival, fellow Nepali climber Pasang Dawa Sherpa, has made 29 ascents. 

Last Friday, Sherpa Tashi Gyalzen broke another record by climbing to the Everest's peak four times under 15 days. 

The 29-year-old mountaineer climbed the mountain consecutively on May 9, 14, 19 and finally on May 23. 

Tashi was at the world’s highest mountain at 3:13 am local time on Friday (2128 GMT Thursday) at the 8,848-meter (29,029-foot) for the fourth time in 14 days.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks, and mountain climbing is a major tourism activity and a source of income as well as employment for the tiny Himalayan nation.