The mountain keeps calling, and he keeps answering.
Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, known as 'Everest Man', has summited the world's tallest peak 32 times since 1994, scaling it almost yearly and sometimes twice annually. Lakpa Sherpa, 52, the 'Mountain Queen', became the first Nepali woman to summit Everest in 2000 and has now reached the peak 11 times, the most by any female climber.
- Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, summited Everest for the 32nd time on Sunday in May 2026
- Lakpa Sherpa, 52, achieved her 11th summit on the same day, both breaking their own records
- Nearly 500 foreign climbers issued permits this season, a record number
- Kami Rita first summited in 1994 and has climbed almost every year since, sometimes twice annually
- Lakpa Sherpa became the first Nepali woman to summit Everest in 2000
Kami Rita Sherpa summited Mount Everest for a record 32nd time, while Lakpa Sherpa achieved her 11th ascent, both breaking their own records on the same day during a record-busy climbing season.
On a Sunday in May, two Nepali climbers reached the summit of Mount Everest and, in doing so, rewrote the record books they had already written themselves. Kami Rita Sherpa, fifty-six years old, stood atop the 8,849-meter peak for the thirty-second time in his life. Hours later that same day, Lakpa Sherpa, fifty-two, planted her flag there for the eleventh time. Both had broken their own records. Both had done it on the same mountain, on the same morning, in a season already marked by unprecedented traffic and ambition.
Kami Rita Sherpa carries the nickname "Everest Man" with the weight of earned fact. He first climbed the mountain in 1994 and has returned almost every year since—some years twice. His personal website traces his roots to Solukhumbu, a region of Nepal where mountaineering runs through families like a bloodline. In 2018, he became the first person on Earth to summit Everest twenty-two times, a record he had previously shared with two other Nepali guides before they retired from the mountain. That achievement seemed definitive at the time. It was not. The mountain kept calling, and he kept answering.
Lakpa Sherpa's story carries different weight. She first reached Everest's summit in 2000, becoming the first Nepali woman ever to do so and return alive. That alone would have been enough for most climbers to retire on the memory. Instead, she has returned eleven times. She is known as the "Mountain Queen," a title that reflects not just her record but her presence in the climbing world—she was the subject of a 2023 documentary called "Mountain Queen" that examined her life as a single mother and her repeated returns to the highest place on Earth.
The timing of their records speaks to something larger happening on Everest. This climbing season has issued permits to nearly five hundred foreign climbers, a record number. The mountain has become, in effect, a destination—a place where ambition and commerce meet at altitude. Most of those five hundred climbers will not attempt the ascent alone. They will hire Nepali guides, men and women who do not require permits, who know the mountain's moods, who have learned its dangers through repetition and survival. Kami Rita and Lakpa Sherpa represent the apex of that essential labor.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah marked the moment with a statement on social media, saying the climbers had "once again written history." He framed their achievement in language that moved beyond sport: "Such historic success can only be achieved through unwavering courage, rigorous self-discipline, and honest dedication to one's work." It was a recognition that what these two had done was not simply personal—it belonged to Nepal, to the Sherpa people, to the mountain itself.
What happens next is already unfolding. The permits keep being issued. The climbers keep arriving. And the guides, the ones who know every crevasse and every storm pattern, keep going up. Kami Rita Sherpa is fifty-six. Lakpa Sherpa is fifty-two. Neither has announced retirement. The mountain, it seems, is not finished with them yet.
Citações Notáveis
Such historic success can only be achieved through unwavering courage, rigorous self-discipline, and honest dedication to one's work.— Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that these two broke their records on the same day? Is that coincidence, or does it say something about the season?
It's probably coincidence in timing, but it's not coincidence that they're both breaking records now. This is a record-busy season—nearly five hundred permits issued. More climbers means more work for guides, more chances to summit. They're at the top of their profession, and the profession is booming.
Kami Rita has been doing this since 1994. That's over thirty years. What keeps someone going back to the same mountain that many times?
The mountain becomes part of your identity. He's not just a climber—he's "Everest Man." That's who he is. And practically speaking, he's the best at what he does. People hire him because he survives. That's a kind of mastery that doesn't fade.
Lakpa Sherpa was the first Nepali woman to summit Everest. That's a huge distinction. Does that change what her record means?
It changes everything. She didn't just climb the mountain eleven times—she opened the door for other Nepali women to climb it at all. Being first matters. Being first and then returning eleven more times? That's not just a record. That's a statement.
The Prime Minister called this "historic success." Is that hyperbole, or is there something genuinely historic here?
It's not hyperbole if you understand what guides mean to Nepal's economy and identity. These are the people who make Everest accessible to the world. Without them, the mountain stays closed to most climbers. Their records are Nepal's records.
What happens when they stop climbing?
That's the question nobody wants to ask. They're not young. But neither has said they're done. The mountain keeps calling, and they keep answering. That's the only pattern we have.