I still remember well the reaction of Everest legend Apa Sherpa. When I predicted in 2013 – on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest – that it was only a matter of time before Apa’s then-record of 21 summit successes on the world’s highest mountain would be broken, the Sherpa was displeased. He felt I wasn’t showing his achievement the respect it deserved – which wasn’t true. But it was already foreseeable that, in the not-too-distant future, others would have climbed Everest more often than he had.
Today, Kami Rita Sherpa stood on the “Roof of the World” for the 32nd time – possibly for the last time in his career. “After retiring from Everest climbing in 2026, I plan to continue trekking and other adventure activities,” said the 56-year-old before setting out for the world’s highest mountain this year.
“Humility is everything”
Kami Rita celebrated his first Everest summit success as early as 1994. To date, 31 more ascents have followed for the humble man from the village of Thame in the Khumbu region. “When I’m on Everest, I’m totally focused,” writes the Nepalese mountaineer in his guidebook “How to Climb Everest.” Longing for family, homesickness, all of that, he says, must be pushed aside and “make the mountain your home instead”.
In addition, physical fitness must come into play, but even this is not enough, according to the Sherpa: “Lots of people think, because they’re in good shape, they won’t suffer from altitute, but sometimes it’s the fittest people who get into the biggest trouble. When it comes to mountain, humility is everything.”
Lhakpa Sherpa’s eleventh Everest summit success
Lhakpa Sherpa is the woman with the most Everest ascents. The 52-year-old Nepalese woman, who lives and works in the U.S., reached the 8,849-meter summit for the eleventh time today. It was her third ascent via the Nepalese south side of the mountain; she has climbed via the Tibetan north side eight times.
Dozens of climbers stood on the summit of Mount Everest today. The two Nepalese operators Seven Summit Treks and 8K Expeditions alone brought more than 50 clients to the highest point on earth.
Rope-fixing teams on the summits of Lhotse and Nuptse – Harila without beathing mask on Nuptse
On neighboring Lhotse, as expected, the five-member rope-fixing team led by Mingma Dorchi Sherpa reached the summit at 8,516 meters today. Thus, this route is also officially open for commercial teams.
Mingtemba Sherpa, who had previously led the rope-fixing team on Everest, was also responsible for securing the route on the 7,861-meter-high Nuptse. Today, he guided Kristin Harila to the summit. The client from Norway did not use bottled oxygen during her ascent.
“This has been my big dream for many years,” the 40-year-old shared via Instagram. “Now my focus is to get safely down.” As reported, Kristin has set out to complete the so-called “Triple Crown” – ascents of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse – without a breathing mask this season.