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Kami Rita Sherpa Climbs Everest for Record 32nd Time
Kami Rita Sherpa, a 56-year-old Nepali mountaineer, has cemented his legacy as the “Everest Man” by summiting for a record-breaking 32nd time, surpassing his own previous record of 31 ascents set in 2025. He reached the summit of the world’s highest peak today at 10:12 a.m. local Everest time.
Born in Thame, Nepal, Kami Rita first climbed the 8,849-metre peak in 1994 at age 24 and has since scaled it nearly every year, sometimes twice in a single season. He comes from a family of mountaineers; his father was among the first professional Sherpa guides, and his brother, Lakpa Rita, summited Everest 17 times. Rita also holds the record for climbing the most 8,000 metre peaks, with 43 total. When it comes to climbing Everest, his closest competitor, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, has 29 ascents.
Kami Rita’s journey on Everest began in 1994 when he worked as a high-altitude worker on the South Col–Southeast Ridge route, reaching the summit on May 13. In 1995, he climbed as high as 8,500 metres, but didn’t summit. By 1997, he successfully summited Everest again, this time as a climber, on May 25. Over the following years, he became a key figure in Himalayan expeditions, repeatedly returning to Everest as a high-altitude worker. He summited on May 25 in 1998, May 13 in 1999, May 23 in 2000, May 25 in 2002, May 30 in 2003, May 24 in 2004, and May 30 in 2005, all through the South Col–Southeast Ridge route.
Kami Rita continued with successful ascents on May 20 in 2006, May 22 in 2007, and May 24 in 2008. In both 2009 and 2010, he climbed Everest twice in each season, serving not only as a high-altitude worker but also as part of the important rope-fixing team that prepares the route for other climbers. In 2009, he reached the summit on May 5 and May 23, while in 2010 he summited on May 5 and May 24. After another successful climb on May 18, 2012, he again completed two ascents in 2013 on May 10 and May 22 while helping fix ropes on the mountain.
In 2016, Kami Rita climbed Everest through the North Col–Northeast Ridge route on May 20. He continued his streak with ascents on May 27, 2017, May 16, 2018, and twice again in 2019 on May 15 and May 21. He climbed it again on May 7 in both 2021 and 2022. In 2023, he completed two more successful ascents on May 17 and May 23, followed by two more in 2024 on May 12 and May 22. In 2025, Kami Rita added another Everest summit to his incredible record on May 27. Time will tell if he returns in 2027 for yet another record attempt.
Everest Man Film
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