(Kathmandu) A Sherpa guide climbed Mount Everest on Sunday for the 26th time, tying the record set by another Nepalese guide for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak.
Pasang Dawa Sherpa reached the summit on Sunday morning with a Hungarian mountaineer, according to expedition organizer Imagine Nepal Treks.
The first wave of climbers of the season reached the summit this weekend as Sherpas guide with fixed ropes and make paths for the hundreds of climbers who will attempt to scale the summit over the next few weeks.
Since successfully ascending the summit in 1998, Mr. Dawa has made the trip almost every year.
Experienced mountain guide Kami Rita held the record for the most Everest climbs after his 26th successful trip last year. Mr Rita is expected to attempt to ascend the summit later this month as he guides foreign climbers to this top of the world.
Climbers typically reach the mountain’s base camp in April and spend weeks acclimating to the high altitude, rugged terrain and less oxygen before ascending the slopes of the mountain. The first or second week of May they usually make attempts to get to the top.
This year’s climb was slightly delayed after three Sherpas fell into a deep mountain crevasse in April. Rescuers couldn’t find them.
With the opening of the route to the summit, a rush of climbing tourists is expected in the coming weeks. Nepalese authorities issued nearly 470 Everest permits during the popular spring climbing season.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay.
