Mount Everest, standing at 29,035ft is the tallest peak in the world. New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was the first to scale the peak in 1953. Since then, many have tried, and some succeeded while others perished. Nepali sherpas always accompany the teams because they are well-versed with the terrain and can guide the mountaineers. 49-year-old Kami Rita Sherpa is one such sherpa and he has climbed this mountain 24 times. By doing that, he has already set a record for himself and wants to make one more attempt.

He feels 25 will be a more secure record.

Daily Mail UK reports that Kami Rita Sherpa had followed the traditional southeast ridge route. An official from the tourism department has confirmed this. He is still not satisfied and plans to undertake one last ascent of Mount Everest before he hangs up his climbing gear.

Sherpas have a tough task

Following in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, nearly 5,000 people have climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.

The route followed by the pioneers, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, remains the most popular even today. Every year more and more enthusiasts want to go to the top. Their numbers are in the region of 1,000 and they do not mind paying thousands. However, not all of them succeed. Statistics reveal hardly a third of them make it to the top.

Some of the bodies are recovered, others lie buried in the snow. These are now getting exposed because of global warming that is melting the ice caps. Incidentally, the melting of ice caps is also revealing a large amount of trash left behind by the mountaineers.

Daily Mail UK reports that two other climbers, both sherpas, have accomplished the feat 21 times each, but both have retired from mountaineering.

Their task is to guide the aspirants through the dangerous terrain, carry their kit and continue to extend assistance as and when required. They refer to Everest as Sagarmatha.

Experience counts in mountaineering

According to India TV News, Kami Rita Sherpa has been in the profession ever since he was 24. His first ascent of Mount Everest was in 1994. He made one of his climbs from the Chinese side. That was in 2016 and he created history on May 16, 2018, when he reached the summit for the 22nd time. He now plans to reach the summit at least 25 times. Kami has already climbed most of the peaks above 26,246ft (8,000 meters) including K2, Cho-oyu, Lhoste, and Annapurna. The height of Everest is 29,035ft.

The 2019 Everest climbing season has started and this season, nearly 1,000 people will make the attempt. They include 378 paying climbers. Nepali climbing guides are highly skilled mountaineers. They have experience on their side and prepare the groundwork for other climbers, hence are an indispensable part of the teams.
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