Nepalese mountaineer Pasang Dawa Sherpa reached the summit of Everest for the 27th time on Monday, equalling the record for the number of ascents of the world's highest mountain held by a compatriot, the organizer of his expedition said.
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Pasang Dawa Sherpa reached the top today with Chinese clients. It was his 27th summit," the organizer of his expedition, Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition, told AFP.
The 46-year-old mountaineer had equalled last week the previous record of Nepalese Kami Rita Sherpa by reaching the summit of Everest (8,849 m) for the 26th time.
But two days later, Kami Rita Sherpa, 53, nicknamed "the man of Everest", regained the first position by reaching the roof of the world, for the 27th time.
However, Pasang Dawa Sherpa is likely to be beaten again by Kami Rita Sherpa who is planning another ascent of Everest this week. Pasang Dawa Sherpa, who first conquered Everest in 1998, has since reached its summit almost every year, sometimes twice in the same season.
Nepal is home to eight of the world's ten highest peaks, including Mount Everest, and hosts hundreds of climbers each season, when temperatures are milder and winds generally weaker.
For the 2023 mountaineering season, which ends in early June, Nepal has issued 478 permits for climbing Everest. And already more than 450 climbers have undertaken its ascent, according to the Ministry of Tourism. With most climbers usually accompanied by a guide, more than 900 people are expected to climb Everest during the season, a record.
But ten climbers, including four Nepalese, died on the world's highest mountain during the season.
The mountaineering industry in the Himalayas relies on the experience of Sherpas, usually from the valleys of Everest. They pay a heavy price to accompany hundreds of mountaineers every year. A third of the dead in Everest are Nepalese climbers.