05/22/26 04:00:00
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05/22 03:58 CDT Everest record-holder Kami Rita Sherpa urges limit on climbers
as crowds swell on the peak
Everest record-holder Kami Rita Sherpa urges limit on climbers as crowds swell
on the peak
By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA
Associated Press
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) --- A renowned Mount Everest guide who this week scaled
the peak a record 32nd time urged authorities on Friday to limit climbers on
the summit.
The number of climbers making the ascent on the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak
from the Nepalese side is higher this season because China has closed the route
from Tibet. Everest can be scaled from either the southern side in Nepal or the
northern side in China.
On Wednesday, 274 climbers reached the summit, the highest number on a single
day from the Nepal side. A total of 494 climbers have been issued permits by
Nepal's mountaineering authorities and an equal number Sherpa guides are
accompanying them.
"It was very crowded this year compared to last year because there was more
clients," Kami Rita Sherpa told reporters at Kathmandu airport after flying
back from the mountain. "There is a need for authorities to control this
number."
Climbers only get a few windows of good weather to make their attempt on the
summit. A large number of people waiting in a fixed rope line they are all
clipped into increases the risks of a traffic jam and exposes the climbers to
increased hours of harsh weather.
Kami Rita's closest competitor, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, scaled the peak for the
31st time on Friday, which was his second successful ascent this week
Kami Rita, 56, first climbed Everest in 1994, and has been making the trip
nearly every year since. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and
skills are vital to the safety and success of foreign climbers aspiring to
stand on top of the mountain each year.
His father was among the first Sherpa guides. In addition to Everest, Kami Rita
has climbed other peaks that are among the world's highest, including K2, Cho
Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.
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