Incredible 'roof of the world' performances for 'Man on Everest' and 'Queen of the Mountain'. Both broke their records

A Nepali climber nicknamed “Everest Man”, Kami Rita Sherpa, scaled Mount Everest for the 32nd time on Sunday, setting a new record, while Lhakpa Sherpa broke his own record by reaching the summit for the 11th time, reports AFP.

“This is a new stage in Nepal's mountaineering history,” Himal Gautam, a spokesman for Nepal's Ministry of Tourism, told AFP.

Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, summited the 8,849-meter Mount Everest, dubbed the “roof of the world,” for the first time in 1994 while working for a commercial expedition. Since then, she has climbed Everest almost every year as a guide for clients.

52-year-old Lhakpa Sherpa, nicknamed the “Queen of the Mountain”, reached the summit of Everest for the first time in 2000, becoming the first Nepalese woman to successfully ascend and descend the world's highest peak.

“Their records motivate other climbers,” added Himal Gautam.

According to him, “breaking records through healthy competition on Everest will help make climbing safer, more dignified and better managed.”

Kami Rita Sherpa declared in 2024, after climbing Everest, that she was just doing her job, with no intention of setting records.

Enthusiasm for mountaineering has turned this discipline into a profitable activity since the first ascent of Everest in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.

Nepal has issued a record 492 permits to climb Everest this season. At the foot of the mountain, a veritable tent city has been set up for climbers and support staff.

Since most climbers attempt the ascent with the help of at least one Nepali guide, about a thousand climbers are expected on the slopes of Everest, heading for the summit, in the coming days.

This large number of climbers each year raises fears of overcrowding on the mountain, especially when adverse weather conditions reduce the period suitable for ascent.