New Delhi: On May 27, legendary Nepalese Sherpa guide Kami Rita reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 31st time, surpassing his own record for the most successful climbs of the world’s highest peak. After his incredible feat, Kami Rita Sherpa is being hailed as the greatest mountaineer of all time.
With over three decades of climbing, his summit count is unmatched in history. The 31st milestone ascent was made while he led a team of 22 Indian Army personnel, accompanied by 27 other Sherpa guides, as part of an expedition organised by Seven Summit Treks.
His amazing achievement coincides with the successful summit of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay 72 years back on May 29, 1953. The two were part of the British Mount Everest Expedition led by Colonel John Hunt.
After the 55-year-old Kami Rita stood atop the 8,849-meter summit on Tuesday, most climbers agreed that this latest achievement firmly cements his status as the record holder for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak — a milestone no one else has come close to matching.
‘Climbing mountain has become more difficult now’
In an exclusive interview with The New York Times, Sherpa Kami Rita said “this climb was a bit difficult because of harsh weather conditions”. He also said that in the past two to three years, climbing the mountain has “become more difficult”. The legendary Sherpa guide pointed out it’s because of climate change. “Snow is melting faster than expected, and that has made climbing more difficult and riskier.” Sherpa Kami Rita told NYT that melting ice are creating streams, and if it continues at the same pace, mountains will become snowless in the next 10 to 15 years.
His journey took off in 1992
Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Expedition Director at Seven Summit Treks, was quoted as saying by PTI that Kami Rita developed a strong passion for climbing at a young age and has been summiting mountains for more than two decades now.
In 1992, he started his mountaineering journey after he joined an expedition to Everest as a support staff member. Between 1994 and 2025, Kami Rita also scaled K2 and Mt Lhotse one time, Manaslu thrice, and Cho Oyu eight times.
