In this comprehensive blog, we will discuss the Mount Everest Climbers. Ever since Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay were confirmed as the first-ever people to climb the 8,850-meter summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, climbers from around the world have made it their mission to follow in their footsteps. More than 6,000 people have reached Mount Everest’s summit since Hilary and Norgay, some more than once. Some have managed the remarkable feat more than two dozen times!
Climbing and mountaineering are in Kami Rita’s blood. His father was one of the original professional Sherpa guides after Nepal opened Everest to foreign mountaineers in 1950. Born and raised in Thame in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal in 1970, Rita began working on the mountain in 1992, helping a cook at the Base Camp. Two years later, on May 13, Rita summited Everest for the first time in his career. Little did Rita know back then that he would eventually become the record holder for most Everest summits reached.
You will not find Rita’s name at any of the best online betting websites, but his name is in the Guinness Book of Records. Why? Because on May 7, 2022, Rita reached Everest’s summit for the 26th time, the most of any person in history. Before you reach for your calculators, we can tell you that Rita was 52 years old when he last summitted Everest and has no plans to retire. However, his wife, Lakpa Jangmu, wishes Rita would finally hang up his boots for good and find a less dangerous job.
Apa Sherpa
Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa, better known as Apa Sherpa or “Super Sherpa,” scaled Everest 21 times between 1990 and 2011 before retiring. For a long time, Apa held the record for the most Everest summits reached but was eventually overtaken by the aforementioned Rita.
During his 19th expedition, Apa and his team spent an hour at Everest’s top, unfurling a banner emblazoned with “Stop Climate Change.” Apa and his squad returned down the mountain with five tonnes of trash and debris, including climbing gear and parts from a crashed helicopter. Sadly, Apa’s friend and fellow Sherpa, Lhakpa Nuru, was swept away in an avalanche while climbing the iconic mountain.
Phurba Tashi Sherpa
Phurba Tashi is one of the greatest Mount Everest Climbers of all time, having scaled Everest 21 times, reached the peak of Cho Oyu on five occasions, twice summitted Manaslu, and navigated his way to the top of both Shishapangma and Lhotse. The Discovery Channel series Everest: Beyond Limit featured Tashi, who was known for reaching Everest’s summit multiple times during the same season. He managed the remarkable feat three times in 2002 and again in 2007 while making two successful trips to the summit in five other years, including 2013, when Tashi called time on his illustrious Sherpa career.
Other Impressive Everest Records of Mount Everest Climbers
It can take up to 40 days to reach Everest’s summit from Base Camp, but it appears that Lapka Gelu did not receive that memo. Gelu had already scaled the mountain nine times when he decided it was time to break the world record for the fastest summit from Everest Base Camp South. With the help of supplementary oxygen, Gelu set off from Base Camp South at 5:00 p.m. on May 25, 2003. Amazingly, he reached the summit 10 hours 56 minutes, and 46 seconds later. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact Gelu’s trip from the Base Camp to the summit and back only took 18 hours 20 minutes!
The late Babu Chiri Sherpa holds the record for the longest time spent at the summit without auxiliary oxygen. Chiri spent a staggering 21 hours at the peak in 1999, a record that still stands. Unfortunately, during his 11th Everest attempt, Chiri fell into a crevasse and sadly died; he was only 35 years old.
Speaking of age, how old do you think the oldest person to summit Everest was? Japanese extreme skier Yuichiro Miura, the first man to ski on Everest, reached the summit aged 70 in 2003. Miura broke his own record ten years later at the ripe old age of 80 despite having undergone two heart surgeries a few years before. Now 90 years old, Miura’s mountaineering days are behind him, but his record will likely stand for many years.
