Kami Rita

Kami Rita (कामीरिता शेर्पा; January 1970) is a Nepali Sherpa guide who holds the record for most ascents to the summit of Mount Everest. He has held the record since May 2018. Most recently, he scaled Mount Everest for the 31st time on 27 May 2025, breaking his own record set on 12 May 2024. His father was among the first professional Sherpa guides after Everest was opened to foreign mountaineers in 1950. His brother Lakpa Rita, also a guide, scaled Everest 17 times.

In 2017, Rita was the third person to reach the summit of Mount Everest 21 times, sharing this record with Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi Sherpa. The latter two subsequently retired.

On 16 May 2018, at age 48, Rita became the first person in the world to climb Mount Everest 22 times, achieving the record of the most summits on the 8,848-meter (29,031-foot) peak. In April of the year, he told the news media that he planned to scale Everest 25 times before retirement, "not just for myself but for my family, the Sherpa people and for my country, Nepal"; He completed his 31st summit of Everest on 27 May 2025.

Rita holds the record for most 8,000 meter summits, with 42 total. In addition to his Everest completions, his totals include Cho-Oyu eight times (2001, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016), Lhotse (2011), K2 (2014) and Manaslu (2023).