Nepal's Kami Rita Sherpa climbs Mt. Everest for record 28th time

Kathmandu, May 23 (IANS) Setting another record, Nepal's legendary climber, Kami Rita Sherpa, summited Mt. Everest for an unprecedented 28th time on Tuesday, just a week after he scaled the world's tallest peak for the 27th time.

The 53-year-old reached the summit of the 848.86-metre peak at 9.23 a.m., reports Xinhua news agency

"Kami Rita Sherpa has made history by scaling Mt. Everest for the 28th time on Tuesday," reported Bigyan Koirala, an official at the mountaineering division of Nepal's Department of Tourism.

"His health condition is stable, and he is currently descending to the lower camps," informed Migma Sherpa, the chairperson of the Seven Summit Treks, the agency with which Kami has been associated.

On May 17, Kami had ascended the mountain for the 27th time.

Another Nepali guide, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, also made it to the summit for the 27th time on Monday.

Kami Rita had scaled Mt. Everest for the first time on May 13, 1994.

Besides Everest, he has also climbed the K2 and Lhotse (one time each); Manaslu (thrice); and Cho Oyu (eight).

He holds the record for 'most climbs over 8,000m'.

His mountaineering journey began in 1992 when he joined an expedition to Everest as a support staff member.

Similarly, British mountain guide Kenton Cool also broke his own record as he stood on top of Everest for a record 17 times.

He has the most summits of the Everest by any foreign climber.

A record 478 climbers from 65 countries and regions have been granted permits to climb Mt. Everest during the spring climbing season.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first successful ascent of the peak, according to the Department.