Nepali Sherpa climbs Mount Everest for record 27th time, sets new record

The Seven Summit Treks, expedition organizing company of Nepal on Wednesday announced the new record set earlier this morning on Twitter.

"This morning at 8:30 am, Kami Rita Sherpa successfully summited Mount Everest for an incredible 27th time as a part of the Seven Summit Treks Everest Expedition 2023," the company tweeted.

Sherpa, a native of Thame village in Solukhumbu, Nepal has been working as Senior Guide at Seven Summit Treks. The company while announcing his success said that he has "dedicated his life to mountaineering and has become synonymous with the world's highest peak."

The 53-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.

This year also Nepal has issued record high permits of 43 teams for Mount Everest which invites about 400 Sherpa guides to make the summit successful. Although Kami Rita cancelled his 26th attempt this year, he announced that he would again return back to mountains next year to achieve his dream.

Kami Rita took the traditional southeast ridge route to reach atop the 8,848.86 meter high mountain which also became the first ascent after height of Everest increased by 0.86 meters after it got measured lately in 2020.

On May 14, another Sherpa Climber Pasang Dawa Sherpa had ascended the Mount Everest for 26th time matching the record of Kami Rita. This year, Nepal is seeing a high influx of climbing aspirants as the Department of Tourism has issued permits to 478 individuals, the highest number on record.

Earlier in 2021, Nepal had issued a record 409 permits which had overcrowded the summit which often is blamed for the high fatalities that year. A year later, the number dropped to 325 taken as an impact of ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and recession that is coming forth this year.

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

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