Nepal: 54-year-old climbs Mount Everest again, breaks own world record

Nepali Sherpa climber and guide Kami Rita Sherpa on Wednesday morning again set a world record with the 30th summit of Mount Everest, a record number by a single person.

According to the Department of Tourism officials, overseeing the expedition in high-lying Himalayas of Nepal, including Mount Everest, Kami Rita stood atop the world's highest peak for the 30th time this morning.

"This morning at 7.49 am (6.04am UAE time), Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record he had set just nine days earlier. This marks his 30th ascent to the top of the world," Khimlal Gautam, Chief of the Expedition Monitoring and Facilitation Field Office confirmed.

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This is his second ascent of the season, after his first on May 12.

Kami Rita, a native of Thame village in Solukhumbu, Nepal has been working as Senior Guide at Seven Summit Treks.

The 54-year-old Sherpa climber has been scaling the mountains for over two decades. His mountaineering journey began in 1992 when he joined an expedition to Everest as a support staff member.

Since then, Kami Rita has fearlessly embarked on numerous expeditions, summiting Everest multiple times. His achievements extend beyond Everest, as he has also conquered other formidable peaks, including K2, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and Manaslu.

Kami Rita is a record-setter climber for the highest number of ascents on the world's tallest peak in the 71-year-long history of Sagarmatha climbing.

Pasang Dawa Sherpa, also from Solukhumbu, climbed Sagarmatha for the 27th time last year. But, he has been resting in his home, taking a break from the expedition this season.

Nepal charges $11,000 to foreign climbers to take permits for Mount Everest but the expenses range between $40,000 to $90,000 to climb the mountain. The cost of an expedition rises further when the weather is not favourable as it normally lasts for only two weeks in a year.

Notably, close to 7,000 mountaineers have climbed Everest from Nepal since Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and New Zealander Edmund Percival Hillary first set foot atop the world's highest peak in May 1953.

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