Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa has once again etched his name into the annals of mountaineering history by successfully scaling Mt. Everest for the 31st time, breaking his own world record.
The 55-year-old Sherpa from Thame, Solukhumbu, reached the summit of the world’s tallest peak at 4:00 AM on May 27, 2025, surpassing the record he set last year with his 29th and 30th ascents.
Kami Rita Sherpa, a seasoned guide renowned for his expertise and resilience, has long been a prominent figure in the mountaineering community. His latest achievement further cements his legacy as the individual with the most ascents of the 8,848.86-meter (29,031.7-foot) peak.
According to the Department of Tourism, the 2025 climbing season for Mt. Everest—which typically runs from April to May—concluded on the same day as Sherpa’s record-breaking climb.
During the season, 458 climbers from 46 groups had obtained permits. Of them, around 500 climbers successfully reached the summit, supported by experienced Sherpas like Kami Rita, who play a critical role in guiding expeditions and ensuring safety on the treacherous slopes.
Mount Everest, known as Sagarmatha in Nepal, meaning “goddess of the sky,” and Qomolangma in Tibet, meaning “holy mother,” lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas, straddling the China-Nepal border.
The mountain’s name, proposed in 1856 by British surveyor Andrew Waugh, honors Sir George Everest, despite his objections, as no single local name was universally accepted at the time due to Nepal and Tibet’s exclusionary policies. The peak’s height was most recently measured in 2020 by Chinese and Nepali authorities, confirming its elevation with precision.
Everest attracts climbers from around the globe, including seasoned mountaineers, who primarily use two routes: the standard Southeast Ridge from Nepal and the North Ridge from Tibet. While the standard route is not technically complex, climbers face significant dangers, including altitude sickness, unpredictable weather, high winds, avalanches, and the treacherous Khumbu Icefall. As of May 2024, 340 climbers have died on Everest, with over 200 bodies remaining on the mountain due to the perilous conditions hindering recovery efforts.
The journey to Everest’s summit typically begins at base camps above 5,000 meters (16,404 feet). On the Nepalese side, climbers fly into Kathmandu, then Lukla, before trekking to the South Base Camp, covering roughly 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) of elevation gain to the summit.
On the Tibetan side, climbers drive directly to the North Base Camp. A rare feat, accomplished by Tim Macartney-Snape’s team in 1990, involved climbing the full elevation from the Bay of Bengal, 700 kilometers (430 miles) away, approximating Everest’s height from sea level.
The mountain’s climbing history is rich with milestones. British expeditions in the 1920s, barred from Nepal, approached via the North Ridge from Tibet, with the 1922 expedition marking the first human climb above 8,000 meters. The 1924 expedition saw George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappear during a summit attempt, sparking debate over whether they reached the top.
The first confirmed ascent was by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953 via the Southeast Ridge, with Norgay having reached 8,595 meters the previous year. The Chinese team of Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua reported the first North Ridge ascent in 1960.
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Susan Shrestha
View More PostsSusan Shrestha covers a wide range of topics, from local matters to global affairs.
