The Man Who Lives on Top of the World: Kami Rita Sherpa's Record 32nd Everest Summit

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Kami Rita Sherpa pictured at Everest Base Camp in 2021. Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images — Kami Rita Sherpa pictured at Everest Base Camp in 2021. *Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images*

On the morning of 17 May 2026, at exactly 10:12 a.m. Nepal Standard Time, a 56-year-old man from the Solukhumbu district stood once again at the roof of the world. Kami Rita Sherpa had just summited Mount Everest for the 32nd time, extending a world record that belongs entirely to him. It was not a comeback story. It was not a one-off feat. It was simply the latest chapter in a career that has redefined what is humanly possible at altitude.

From Thame to the Top of the World

Kami Rita was born in the village of Thame, a small settlement tucked high in the Khumbu valley of northeastern Nepal. It is the same village that produced Tenzing Norgay, one half of the legendary duo that made the first-ever ascent of Everest in 1953. Whether that shared geography carries any symbolic weight is a matter of personal interpretation, but it is hard to ignore the poetry of it.

He joined his first Everest expedition in 1992 as a support staff member, two years before making his first summit in 1994. Since then, he has returned to the mountain almost every spring, guiding foreign clients and accumulating a record that no other climber on Earth has matched. His brother, Lakpa Rita, has climbed Everest 17 times. His father was among the first generation of professional Sherpa guides. Mountaineering is not just a career for the Sherpa family; it is a living tradition passed down through generations.

What 32 Summits Actually Means

It is worth pausing to appreciate the scale of what Kami Rita has achieved. Most elite mountaineers count a single Everest summit as the pinnacle of a lifetime's ambition. Many attempt it once and never return. A handful have reached the top two or three times. Kami Rita has done it 32 times.

His nearest rival, fellow Nepali mountaineer Pasang Dawa Sherpa, stands at 29 career summits. That gap of three is not just a number; it reflects years of additional risk, physical wear, and commitment. Everest does not get easier with familiarity. The Khumbu Icefall, the Death Zone above 8,000 metres, the unpredictable weather windows: each ascent carries the same objective dangers regardless of how many times a climber has navigated them before.

Beyond Everest, Kami Rita has also summited K2, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and Manaslu. His total of verified 8,000-metre peak ascents stands at more than 40, and he holds the Guinness World Record for both the most Everest ascents and the most total summits of 8,000-metre peaks by any individual in mountaineering history.

A Difficult Season

The 2026 spring climbing season was not without its shadows. Rope-fixing on the route was only completed on 13 May, delayed by conditions in the Khumbu Icefall that disrupted operations for weeks. Three climbers lost their lives during the season's preparations, including mountaineer Bijay Ghimere and guides Phura Gyaljen Sherpa and Lakpa Dendi Sherpa. Nepal's authorities issued 492 permits for Everest this season, and the mountain remained as unforgiving as ever.

Against that backdrop, Kami Rita's summit was a moment of genuine celebration. Nepal's Department of Tourism issued a statement congratulating him for achieving a "historic milestone" and recognising his contributions to mountain tourism, an industry that provides crucial income to thousands of Sherpa families in the Solukhumbu district.

Another Record on the Same Day

Kami Rita was not the only one making history on 17 May. Lhakpa Sherpa, 52, reached the Everest summit for the 11th time on the same morning, becoming the first woman ever to achieve that landmark. She summited at around 9:30 a.m., roughly 40 minutes before Kami Rita. Two world records broken on a single day on the world's highest peak is a remarkable coincidence, and a testament to the extraordinary community of Nepali high-altitude climbers who make Everest expeditions possible each year.

The End of an Era, Perhaps

Kami Rita has hinted that this may be his final Everest climb. Speaking to journalists ahead of the 2026 season, he acknowledged that friends and family have urged him to retire for years, and that the time to step away from the mountain is approaching. He has spoken of continuing with trekking and other adventure activities after leaving Everest behind.

Whether or not this was truly his last summit, the legacy is already written. Three decades of high-altitude guiding, 32 verified Everest summits, and a Guinness World Record that may stand unchallenged for a generation. Kami Rita Sherpa did not conquer Everest. He built a relationship with it, returning season after season with the quiet confidence of someone who simply knows the mountain better than anyone else alive.

For the Sherpa community, his achievements are a source of immense pride. For the wider world of mountaineering, they are a reminder that the most extraordinary feats on Everest have often been accomplished not by headline-grabbing solo adventurers, but by the guides who make every expedition possible.