Kami Rita Sherpa Reaches Everest Summit For Record 31st Time

For most climbers, summiting Mount Everest is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. But for Kami Rita Sherpa, it is just another day at work. On May 31, 2025, the 55-year-old Nepali climber stood atop the world’s highest peak for the 31st time. He broke his own world record for the most ascents of Everest.

Kami Rita achieved the milestone while leading climbers on behalf of expedition company Seven Summit Treks. The group of 22 mountaineers and 27 other Sherpas had initially planned to summit a few days earlier. However, they were delayed by bad weather.

"Massive congratulations to the legendary Kami Rita Sherpa on his 31st successful ascent of Everest, the highest number of ascents by anyone in history," Seven Summit Treks said in a statement.

This latest feat puts Kami Rita two climbs ahead of fellow Nepali Sherpa Pasang Dawa, who has reached the peak 29 times. Both men belong to a community of Sherpas who often lead climbers through the mountain’s most dangerous sections.

Kami Rita was just 24 years old when he guided his first commercial expedition to the summit in 1994. Since then, he has climbed Everest almost every year and sometimes twice in a single season. He has also led climbers to other major Himalayan peaks, as well as K2 in Pakistan, which is the world’s second-highest mountain.

The Nepali Sherpa's remarkable climbing career is part of a family tradition. His father was among the first professional guides to lead foreign mountaineers up Mt. Everest in the 1950s. His brother has also guided climbers to the peak an impressive 17 times.

The 2025 spring climbing season officially ended on May 29. It included other remarkable achievements. Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa made history by summiting Everest four times in just 15 days. His historic climb began on May 9, 2025, as part of the rope-fixing team that laid the route for others. The 29-year-old then reached the summit again on May 14, May 19, and May 23.

British mountaineer Kenton Cool also broke new ground. On May 19, 2025, the 51-year-old reached the summit for the 19th time, breaking his own world record for the most Everest ascents by a non-Sherpa climber.

Standing 29,032 feet (8,849 m) above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth. It lies on the border between Nepal and China and was named after Sir George Everest, a British surveyor. Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the peak in 1953. Since then, thousands of climbers have reached the summit, but Everest remains one of the most difficult and dangerous mountains in the world.

Resources: NPR.com, CNN.com, Smithsonianmag.com