Double Summit: Two Nepali Climbers Crush Everest Records on the Same Day

On a single Sunday morning, two Nepali mountaineers rewrote the history books on the world’s highest peak. Kami Rita Sherpa, 55, reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 32nd time—extending his own global record. On that same ascent, Lhakpa Sherpa, 53, bagged her 11th summit, setting a new women’s world record. Both climbers made their mark on the same day, a rare double feat that stunned the mountaineering community.

Kami Rita, a veteran guide, had hinted on social media before the climb that this might be his last trip up the mountain. But an official from the expedition company said that after returning to base camp, the climber was already thinking about a possible 33rd ascent. Known as the “King of Everest,” he first topped the peak in 1994 and has been climbing it nearly every year since.

Lhakpa Sherpa, often called the “Queen of the Mountains,” first stood on Everest’s summit in 2000—just eight months after giving birth to her first daughter. At the time, she was already two months pregnant with her second child. Her latest ascent solidifies her place as the most successful female climber on Everest. Together, these two athletes prove that age and history are no match for determination.