Kathmandu: Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa, known globally as the “Everest Man”, has successfully climbed Mount Everest for a record 31st time, cementing his place in mountaineering history.

The 55-year-old climber reached the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) summit on Tuesday, more than 30 years after his first ascent in 1994. The climb was confirmed by expedition organiser Seven Summit Treks, who led the expedition.

“Massive congratulations to the legendary Kami Rita Sherpa on his 31st successful ascent of Everest, the highest number of ascents by anyone in history,” the company said in a statement. “He is not just a national climbing hero, but a global symbol of Everest itself.”

Sherpa completed this latest ascent as the leader of an Indian Army expedition team, guiding the last remaining members to the summit. Despite his record-breaking feat, Sherpa has often played down the attention, saying previously that he is “just working” and not climbing for records.

“I am glad for the record, but records are eventually broken,” he told AFP in May 2024. “I am more happy that my climbs help Nepal be recognised in the world.”

Sherpa has climbed Everest nearly every year since 1994, primarily as a high-altitude guide, assisting commercial expeditions to reach the peak.

In a separate achievement, Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa, aged 29, made headlines after returning to Kathmandu on Tuesday, having summited Everest a record four times in just 15 days. His final ascent took place on 23 May, according to 8K Expeditions.

“I feel proud, it was a very difficult task but I made it a success,” Gyalzen told AFP after his return to the capital, where he was welcomed by family and fellow mountaineering enthusiasts. “Earlier, many pioneers have scaled Everest many times, but not four times in one season.”

The accomplishments come as the spring climbing season draws to a close, with favourable weather windows allowing more than 500 climbers and their guides to reach the summit in recent weeks. Nepal’s Department of Tourism has confirmed that only two fatalities have occurred on Everest this season — a Filipino and an Indian climber — marking one of the lowest death tolls in recent years.

Nepal has issued over 1,100 climbing permits for the 2024 spring season, including 458 for Everest alone, generating more than $5 million in royalties. The Himalayan nation is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks and attracts hundreds of climbers each year during the spring, when temperatures are milder and winds calmer.

Earlier this month, British climber Kenton Cool, 51, also made headlines after completing his 19th Everest ascent, extending his own record for the most summits by a non-Nepali climber.

Tourism ministry official Himal Gautam, Director of the Mountaineering and Adventure Section, praised Kami Rita Sherpa’s latest achievement. “Kami Rita Sherpa's record ascent has helped to take Nepal's mountaineering sector to the next height,” he said.

Since Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa first reached the summit in 1953, Everest has seen a steady boom in mountaineering. In 2023, over 800 climbers reached the peak, including 74 from the Tibetan side.