New world Record in Everest Summit
18 May 2026 Alpine Asian Treks
Mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa, also known as the “Everest Man,” set a world record by reaching the top of Mount Everest for the 32nd time on May 16, 2026, at 10:23 am. The 56-year-old Sherpa was born in Thame village, Solukhumku (Everest region). He first climbed Everest in 1994. Since then, he has climbed regularly, except during the COVID-19 year and the year of a big avalanche on Everest. Kami Rita has also climbed other mountains over 8,000 meters, including Lhotse, Manaslu, Cho Oyu, and K2.
According to the Department of Mountaineering, 492 permits were issued to climb Everest this year (2026). About 1,000 climbers, including guides, are expected to try to reach the top. Under a new rule introduced in 2025, solo expedition permits are no longer issued. The permit fee is $15,000 per person to climb from the south route in spring. To date, over 7,000 mountaineers have summited Everest.
Another Nepali climber, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, is close behind Kami Rita with 27 summits of Everest. He first reached the top in 1998. In 2023, he tied Kami Rita’s record at 26 summits, but Kami Rita then set a new record with his 27th summit by summiting twice in the same season. Mr. Pasang is also a brave rescuer. He has saved several climbers who were struggling for their lives on the way to the summit.
Climbing Everest is very challenging. More than 429 climbers have lost their lives on the way to the top. The dead, 132 persons were Sherpas. It is said that more than 200 dead bodies still remain in the Himalayas.
The main causes of death while climbing are bad weather, avalanches, crossing the icefall, altitude sickness, tiredness, HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema), and HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema). One-third of deaths are caused by falls. Arriving too late is another major cause. About 80% of foreign climbers who died did so because they arrived late or summited too late. However, for Sherpas, the main cause of death is avalanches.
All mountaineers wait for a good weather window to try for the summit. Because the good weather window is often short, a large crowd of climbers gathers on the same day. The highest number of summits in one day happened in spring 2019, when 354 people successfully reached the top. This year (2026), 135 climbers have successfully summited Everest.
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