Kami Rita Sherpa sets Everest record with 32nd summit

Kami Rita Sherpa stood on Everest’s summit for the 32nd time on Sunday, a climb that strengthened his place in Himalayan history and underscored how dependent the mountain economy remains on Sherpa labor. The 56-year-old reached the 8,849-metre peak at 10:12 a.m. Nepal Standard Time while guiding clients for 14 Peaks Expedition, according to Nepal’s Department of Tourism.

The ascent carried more weight than a single record. Lhakpa Sherpa reached the summit at about 9:30 a.m. the same day for her 11th climb, the most by a woman, giving Nepal two world marks from one summit push. In Kathmandu, officials described Kami Rita’s achievement as a historic milestone, but the number also points to the professional risk Sherpa guides absorb season after season so paying clients can reach the highest point on Earth.

Kami Rita was born in Thame village in Solukhumbu district, the same region tied to Tenzing Norgay. He first climbed Everest in 1994 and has returned nearly every year since, except during the expedition closures of 2014, 2015 and 2020. Some years brought two ascents, which helps explain how his total has raced far beyond the number of calendar years in his climbing career.

His record arrived during a crowded and dangerous spring season. Nepal issued a record 492 Everest permits for spring 2026, the highest total on record, and officials have warned that the surge has revived crowd-control concerns on the mountain. The narrow weather window for summit attempts adds to the pressure, concentrating climbers, guides and support staff into a short period when a single decision can determine success or disaster.

That danger has already been plain this month. Three Everest deaths in two weeks pushed Nepal’s May toll of Himalayan climbers to five, a grim reminder that the commercial success of the season rests on a labor system built on exposure, altitude and constant risk. For Nepali Sherpas, the mountain is not only a symbol of national prestige but also a workplace and a source of family income.

More than 8,000 people have reached Everest since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent in 1953. Among non-Sherpa climbers, the record belongs to Kenton Cool, followed by Dave Hahn and Garrett Madison. Kami Rita’s 32nd summit now stands as part of that larger history, one shaped as much by the guides who carry the industry as by the climbers who come to buy their expertise.