Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa scales Mount Everest for 25th time, breaks his own record

A Nepali Sherpa guide climbed Mount Everest for 25th time on May 7, breaking his own world record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak. Kami Rita reached Everest with 11 other Sherpa guides at 6 pm and they are the first climbers to reach the summit this year amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic. 

"Sherpa reached the summit of Mt. Qomolangma at 6 pm. local time on Friday," Mira Acharya, director of Nepal's Department of Tourism, "It is his 25th summit on the mountain," the official said.

According to Kathmandu-based mountaineering company Seven Summit Treks, Kami Rita reached the summit on Friday evening, leading a team to build the way with ropes. With an elevation of 8,848.86 meters, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth.

Nepali climber scales Everest for 25th time

 "I climb for my nation. Guides like us are necessary for the tourism sector of Nepal. Without us, foreigners wouldn't come," said Kami.

51-year-old Rita first scaled Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since then. As his father was also a Sherpa guide, Riya followed in his footsteps and achieved great heights while climbing some world's highest peaks. He has also scaled K-2, Cho-Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse among other mountains. Sherpa Rita was at Everest’s base camp in 2015 when an avalanche swept through, killing 19 people.

COVID-19 reaches highest peaks

Though the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world, the Nepali government greenlighted mountaineering this spring and issued a record 408 climbing permits. Now, the virus has even reached the world's highest peak and the first case was reported in April when a Norwegian climber shared all the details regarding his health on Facebook page after got infected with the virus while trekking. On April 22, Erneld Ness in a Facebook post has now said that that he is now stable and has been discharged from the hospital. 

As per recent reports, at least seven of 19 climbers evacuated from the Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh-highest peak, have tested positive for coronavirus. The other 12 climbers are scheduled to take a test after showing symptoms, a CNN report said quoting the chairperson of tour operator Seven Summits Trek Mingma Sherpa.