Two Huge Climbing Records Were Just Shattered on Mount Everest

Reaching the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point above sea level on Earth, is a huge accomplishment limited only to some of the best athletes in the world. With life-threatening challenges throughout the trip, including crevasses, avalanches, thin air that makes breathing harder (and, increasingly, extreme crowds), it’s a huge undertaking for even the most prepared mountaineer.

That makes it extremely noteworthy when someone sets a new record on Everest. And this week, two records were broken.

The most summits of Mount Everest: 31

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A post shared by Kami Rita Sherpa (@kamiritasherpa)

At the end of May, famous Sherpa guide Kami Rita broke the world record for the most summits on Mount Everest. The previous record — also set by him — was broken when he led 22 members of the Indian Army team (along with 27 additional Sherpas) to the summit at just over 29,000 feet above sea level on May 27. He used the South Route, the most popular route and the one used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

Rita was born in 1970 and learned from his father, who was one of the first professional Sherpa guides after Everest was opened to foreign climbers in 1950. He began mountaineering in 1992 as a support staff member for an Everest expedition and first summited Everest in 1994. Since then, he’s climbed it at least once every year, making him one of the most experienced Everest climbers and Sherpas in the world. The next most accomplished Sherpa is Pasang Dawa, with 29 ascents. Rita also holds the world record for the most summits over 8,000 meters (42), including K2, Lhotse, and Cho Oyu.

The most summits of Mount Everest by a non-Sherpa: 19

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A post shared by Kenton Cool (@kentoncool)

Though it falls short of Kami Rita’s impressive number, British mountaineer Kenton Cool (his actual last name) broke a nearly as impressive record mid-May by reaching Everest’s summit for the 19th time. Cool is one of the most accomplished climbers of the modern era, as well as a former alpine guide and member of the British mountain rescue service. In the mid-1990s, he shattered his heel in a rock climbing accident, and doctors told him he may never walk unaided again. Instead, he dedicated himself to recovery and rose to become an even better climber and world-class mountaineer. He still has a slight limp from that injury, proving that serious injuries don’t need to keep you from your passion.

How to climb with Kami Rita

The 2025 climbing season just concluded, with the vast majority of mountaineers making the push to the summit during the more favorable weather windows of April and May. Adventurers who want to climb with Kami Rita ought to start planning (and saving) soon. He guides with Seven Summit Treks, Nepal’s largest and most prominent high-altitude expedition company. He’s both a lead guide, and an ambassador for the company.

Seven Summit Treks is known for offering full-service climbs that cater to a range of clients, from elite mountaineers to first-time Everest aspirants, often pairing them with some of Nepal’s most experienced Sherpas, including legends like Kami Rita. Including your guiding, lodging, permit fees, staff, meals, etc., you can plan to spend at least $60,000 per person, excluding flights, gear, and tips, plus probably another $10,000-$15,000 to climb with a famous and accomplished Sherpa like Kami Rita himself.