Sherpa guide who climbed Mount Everest for record 28th time says he’s not ready to retire

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — One of Canada’s top mountain guides said Thursday he’s not ready to retire after climbing Mount Everest for a record 28th time.

Nepalese Sherpa Kami Rita reached the 8,849-metre (29,032ft) summit of the world’s tallest mountain on Tuesday, breaking his own record less than a week after setting it.

“I will continue to climb as long as my body allows,” the 53-year-old guide told reporters after arriving from the mountain at Kathmandu airport, where he was greeted as a hero by supporters and members of the his family.

He said his goal was not to compete for records, but to help his overseas clients climb the mountain.

This year’s climbing season is almost over and his next climb will have to wait until next spring.

Kami Rita reached the summit a day after fellow Sherpa guide Pasang Dawa equaled her previous record of 27 ascents.

A race for the title began with Pasang Dawa scaling the summit for the 26th time on May 14, equaling Kami Rita’s previous record. Kami Rita reached the summit three days later for the 27th time.

Kami Rita first climbed Everest in 1994 and has done so almost every year since then. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are essential to the safety and success of foreign climbers seeking to reach the top of the mountain. His father was among the first Sherpa guides.

Kami Rita has climbed many of the highest peaks in the world besides Everest including K2, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.

Thousands of people have climbed Mount Everest since it was first conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first ascent.