Do You Know About Kami Rita Sherpa? The Man Who Has Scaled Mt. Everest A Record 22 Times

Climbing the Everest was a dream many of us had while we’re growing up and over the time very-very few were able to keep it with themselves as they turned into adults. The number goes even low in terms of those actually trying to do and while some see failure, other’s have seen the top and both the experiences account to something they can never forget in their lifetime. However, there’s a man who has turned his dreams into reality not once but 22 exact times and in the process of doing so, he has created a record in itself.

Meet Kami Rita Sherpa from Kathmandu, Nepal who has scaled the Mt. Everest, not one or two times, but rather 22 times. He made the record on May 18th and has been back to his hometown, Kathmandu on the following Sunday. His journey is as exciting as anything could be and his life almost revolves entirely around the world’s highest mountain.

Kami Rita is a 42-year-old Sherpa and climbed the Mt. Everest for the first time when he was 24. And, has been climbing the Everest every year since.

Kami Rita Sherpa reached the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit via the Southeast Ridge route, accompanied by 13 other climbers including his clients, Tourism Department official Gyanendra Shrestha said from the base camp. His latest ascent took him one summit clear of two fellow sherpas with whom he had shared the earlier record. While both the other two sherpas have retired from their duties now, Rita is still 42 and plans to summit the mountain for at least 25 times before he retires himself.

In an interview, Kami Rita Sherpa said, “My father was not educated, and I didn’t attend school due to our weak financial position. So I became a climbing guide. The chances of survival on the world’s tallest mountain are always 50/50.”

The route taken on the ascent was pioneered by New Zealand’s Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay when they became the first climbers to reach the summit in 1953. The best time to climb the Everest runs from March through May and sees hundreds of climbers embarking on a journey of a lifetime.

More and more people are coming every year to embark on the world’s highest mountain which has resulted in a huge growth for mountaineering sherpas. However, the number of Sherpa guides available currently are not being able to keep up with the demand. Experienced ones are retiring now, while the young ones are being lured away from Nepal to huge mountaineering countries that offers a much more safer option, along with huge amount of money for the job. As for Kami Rita Sherpa, we wish him a more successful journey in the coming years and hope that he achieves his goal.

Jyotsna Amla