The Mountain Never Gets Old for These Two
For most people, standing atop Mount Everest once would be the achievement of a lifetime. For Kami Rita Sherpa and Lakpa Sherpa, it's become something closer to a yearly tradition — and this spring, both shattered their own world records in the same season.
Kami Rita, widely known as "Everest Man," summited the 8,849-metre peak for the 32nd time, adding yet another chapter to a climbing career that has become the stuff of legend. Lakpa Sherpa — nicknamed "Mountain Queen" — reached the top for her 11th time, cementing her position as the most accomplished female Everest summiteer of all time.
A Dynasty Built on the Slopes of Everest
Both climbers hail from the Sherpa community of Nepal, whose deep ties to the Himalayas and generations of high-altitude expertise have made them indispensable to mountaineering expeditions around the world.
Kami Rita first summited Everest in 1994 and has been climbing it at a pace that defies comprehension. His record, previously at 31, had already placed him in a category of one — no other climber in history has stood on top of the world anywhere close to as many times.
Lakpa Sherpa, meanwhile, first summited in 2000 and has steadily built a record that no other woman has come close to matching. Her achievements are particularly remarkable given the historically male-dominated world of high-altitude Himalayan climbing.
What Drives Someone to Return Again and Again?
For professional Sherpa guides, Everest is both livelihood and vocation. The spring climbing season — when weather windows open briefly between brutal Himalayan winters — brings dozens of expeditions to the mountain's base camps, and experienced Sherpas like Kami Rita serve as essential guides, route-fixers, and safety anchors for less experienced climbers attempting their first ascent.
But records like these go beyond professional duty. They speak to an extraordinary physical resilience — surviving repeated exposure to extreme altitude, oxygen deprivation, brutal cold, and the ever-present risk of avalanche and sudden storm.
The Human Cost and the Continuing Draw
Everest has claimed more than 300 lives since expeditions began in earnest in the early 20th century, and even experienced Sherpas are not immune to its dangers. The mountain's popularity has also sparked ongoing debate about overcrowding, environmental impact, and the commercialization of what was once considered the ultimate test of human endurance.
And yet people — and record-holders like Kami Rita and Lakpa Sherpa — keep returning. For the Sherpa community, the mountain is not just a challenge. It's home terrain, cultural heritage, and in many ways, identity.
Records That May Stand for Decades
With 32 summits, Kami Rita's record now sits in a realm that seems almost impossible for any competitor to challenge within the near future. Lakpa Sherpa's 11 ascents similarly dwarf the achievements of other female climbers.
This spring's twin records are a reminder that the greatest mountaineering stories aren't always about first ascents or famous expeditions from decades past — sometimes they're being written right now, by climbers who simply keep showing up, season after season, at the top of the world.
Source: BBC World News
