A veteran Sherpa guide has scaled Mount Everest for the 31st time, beating his own record.
Kami Rita, who first climbed Everest in 1994, reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain on Tuesday.
The Nepali guided a group of clients and reached the summit in the early morning, according to Kathmandu-based Seven Summits Treks.
Before embarking on the record-breaking climb, the 55-year-old told the Associated Press news agency he would possibly even climb to the top for the 32nd time, after he made two successful climbs last year.
He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success of foreign climbers aspiring to stand on top of the mountain, which stands at 8,849m.
In addition to Everest, he has climbed other peaks that are among the world’s highest, including K2, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.
Fellow Sherpa guide Pasang Dawa, who has made 29 successful ascents of Everest, is his closest challenger for the record.
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Most people who climb Everest and the nearby Himalayas do so in April and May, when the weather is more favourable.
The mountain was first climbed in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
