Story perspectives

Kami Rita’s 32nd Everest Summit, Lhakpa’s 11-Climb Milestone

5/18/2026

Summary

Kami Rita Summits

Kami Rita Sherpa summited Mount Everest at 10:12 am on 17 May 2026, his record-setting 32nd ascent, while Lhakpa Sherpa reached the summit at 9:30 am, becoming the first woman with eleven Everest climbs.
Nepal’s Department of Tourism and Everest Base Camp officials confirmed summits, leading Prime Minister Balendra Shah to praise them.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, former Nepal Mountaineering Association president, highlighted Kami Rita Sherpa’s skill and Lhakpa Sherpa’s climb with Seven Summit Adventure.

Summary

**Nepali Climbers Die**

Three Nepali climbers died on Everest in May 2026, underscoring safety risks during the surge.
Nepal issued a record 492 permits for the March-May 2026 season, raising overcrowding concerns and noting that guiding foreign climbers provides essential Sherpa income.
British guide Kenton Cool, holder of the non-Sherpa record with 19 summits, seeks another this season.
American climbers Dave Hahn and Garrett Madison each have 15 ascents and are on the mountain.

Summary

Lhakpa Sherpa Documentary

The July 2024 documentary profiles Lhakpa Sherpa as the “Mountain Queen.”
Lhakpa’s 2000 summit was the first by a woman, illustrating the Sherpa shift from porters to elite guides that began with Kami Rita’s 1994 debut.
Permit numbers rose after China tightened Tibet-side restrictions, sending more teams to the Nepalese route, crowding base-camp and prompting safety measures after over 320 fatalities since the 1953 Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary climb.

History

Historical Context

The 1953 British Everest expedition, organized by the Joint Himalayan Committee and led by Colonel John Hunt, achieved the first confirmed summit when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top on 29 May 1953, news arriving on Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation day. That landmark, supported by 103 Sherpas, established the model of large, funded climbs that underpins today’s high-permit seasons in Nepal.

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Kami Rita Summits

Kami Rita Sherpa summited Mount Everest at 10:12 am on 17 May 2026, his record-setting 32nd ascent, while Lhakpa Sherpa reached the summit at 9:30 am, becoming the first woman with eleven Everest climbs.
Nepal’s Department of Tourism and Everest Base Camp officials confirmed summits, leading Prime Minister Balendra Shah to praise them.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, former Nepal Mountaineering Association president, highlighted Kami Rita Sherpa’s skill and Lhakpa Sherpa’s climb with Seven Summit Adventure.

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