Climbing
With many expeditions receiving the “green light” to summit, Mount Everest is popping up on headlines all over the internet. In the latest Everest news, the Nepali Sherpa known as “Everest Man,” Kami Rita, summited Everest for his 31st time. At the age of 55, Rita extended his own previous world record by guiding a group of Indian army officials to the 29,032 foot summit.
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Rita first summited Everest in 1994 as a guide and has been reaching the world’s highest peak nearly every year since. Despite Rita’s name flashing in the headlines every time he extends the record, he remains humble about his accomplishments and deflects the attention to bringing pride to his home country of Nepal. In an interview with AFP last May, he said:
“I am more happy that my climbs help Nepal be recognized in the world. I am glad for the record, but records are eventually broken.”
The journey began on April 12, 45 days prior to the team summiting the iconic mountain. The ascent that brought the group of Indian army officials to the peak went smoothly, except for a period of inclement weather on May 12 and 13, which delayed the summit by a few days.
Rita’s family has a deep history with Everest. His father was among the first professional guides to lead climbers up Everest in the 1950s. His brother is also no stranger to Everest, with 17 summits under his belt.
Rita’s record is closely followed by the Nepali Sherpa Pasang Dawa, who notched his 29th summit last week. Many other climbers have been reaching the summit as well. According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism, 456 climbers were issued permits for Everest for the 2025 spring season, which is up from 421 climbers in 2024 but still down from the 479 permits issued in 2023.
