Kami Rita Sherpa
When Kami Rita Sherpa (NPL), aka "Thapke", topped this prodigious peak on 21 May 2019, it was his 24th summit – the most ascents of Everest by any individual overall. Even more remarkably, he’d made his 23rd climb just six days earlier. And he sees no reason to stop now. In fact, he’s confident that he can keep climbing for another decade or so (he turns 50 this year).
Kami Rita’s inspiration was his father. In 1950, when Nepal opened its borders to climbers from abroad, he became one of the earliest professional guides for expeditions to the area, although his climbing days were curtailed in 1992 after he suffered severe frostbite. That same year, according to his elder brother, Lakpa, Kami Rita became a cook’s assistant at Everest’s base camp, though reportedly he had been hauling gear there as a porter since the age of 12. In 1994, he made his first successful ascent of the mountain.