Kami Rita Sherpa breaks his own record, climbs Everest for 27th time

Kathmandu: Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa has reached the top of Mount Everest for the 27th time, reclaiming the record for the most summits of the world’s highest mountain, his expedition organiser says.

The 53-year-old had held the title since 2018, when he ascended Everest for the 22nd time, passing the previous mark he shared with two other Sherpa climbers, both of whom have since retired.

But on Sunday another climber, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, 46, tied the record by reaching the top for the 26th time.

A guide for more than two decades, Kami Rita Sherpa first summited the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak in 1994 when working for a commercial expedition.

Since then, he has climbed Everest almost every year, several times leading the first rope-fixing team to open the route to the world’s highest point.