Climbing
Renowned Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa has shattered his own world record by reaching the summit of Mount Everest for the 32nd time. Affectionately known within the mountaineering community as the “Everest Man,” the 56-year-old guide reached the highest point on Earth at 10:12 a.m. local time on May 17, 2026, according to an article published by Gripped.
The achievement pads his lead over the next closest contender, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, who currently sits at 29 career summits. Kami Rita’s deep roots in Himalayan climbing trace back to his upbringing in the village of Thame, a region famous for producing elite high-altitude workers. His family boasts a multi-generational legacy in the sport; his father was among the pioneering professional Sherpa guides, and his brother, Lakpa Rita, has scaled the 8,849-meter mountain 17 times.
Kami Rita first stood on top of Everest on May 13, 1994, at the age of 24, while working along the traditional South Col-Southeast Ridge route. Over the next three decades, he transformed high-altitude guiding into a masterclass of consistency, climbing the peak almost annually. In several years—including 2009, 2010, 2013, 2019, 2023, and 2024—he managed the grueling physical feat of summiting twice within a single spring climbing window.
Beyond his standard guiding duties, Kami Rita has frequently been tasked with the crucial and highly dangerous role of lead rope-fixer, charting the path and securing safety lines for the hundreds of commercial clients who flock to the mountain each year. His unparalleled experience on Everest is part of a broader mountaineering resume that includes a world-record 43 total summits of peaks above 8,000 meters.
His latest success follows a singular summit on May 27, 2025, which had set the previous record of 31. As the current spring climbing season progresses, Kami Rita’s historic milestone shows his irreplaceable role that indigenous Sherpa guides play in modern commercial mountaineering operations.
