<![CDATA[24 Everest summits and still going strong: record-breaking Nepalese mountain guide Kami Rita Sherpa vows to keep climbing]>

Kami Rita Sherpa is arguably one of the most accomplished climbers in the world. But you could be forgiven for not knowing that.

Last month, the unassuming 49-year-old Nepalese mountain guide reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 24th time " seven days after breaking his own record with a 23rd ascent of the world's highest peak.

Upon his return to the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, he received a hero's welcome. At the airport, his wife hugged him as a crowd of supporters danced, cheered and handed him flowers.

Yet Kami shied away from much of the media circus that surrounded him, telling reporters he was simply doing his job and fending off requests for interviews and public engagements from across his home country and further afield.

Kami is welcomed by his wife after arriving at Kathmandu Airport on May 25. Photo: EPA

It took quite a bit of persuasion to get him to agree to talk. Concerned that his lack of proficiency in English might lead to him being misquoted, he consented to an interview under the sole proviso that his 20-year-old son Lakpa be allowed to translate.

And so it was that the three of us found ourselves sat in the small, five-room apartment in Kathmandu that Kami, his son, daughter and wife all call home.

That hot June afternoon was cleaning day, Lakpa cheerfully explained, meaning nearly every available surface was covered in climbing gear " socks, jackets, sleeping bags and safety harnesses " hanging out to dry.

Ethnic Sherpa guides form the backbone of Nepal's climbing industry, helping clients and hauling equipment up Himalayan peaks. Ever since the earliest days of mountaineering in the region, they have been renowned for their hardiness, expertise and experience at very high altitude.

Kami atop Everest after reaching the summit for the 23rd time on May 15. Photo: AFP

Kami began his climbing career at 17, following in his father's footsteps. The village of Thame, where he was born as the fifth of 10 children, consisted of 30 families who sustained themselves by growing potatoes and bartering the surplus for cornflour, rice and millet.

Life was hard, but in 1987 being a mountain guide wasn't much easier.

"Back then, there was no proper equipment or shops in our country," Kami said. "Even if we had equipment, it was so heavy, it made for a far tougher climb than it is today."

At first, he worked as a porter, hauling gear up some of the "smaller" peaks around 6,000 metres high. Once he was more experienced, he began to work as a guide " taking groups up some of the highest peaks in the Himalayas. Yet when the time came for his first ascent of the 8,848-metre Everest, Kami was still nervous.

Kami spins prayer wheels at a Buddhist shrine before his 22nd Everest ascent in 2018. Photo: AFP

"A Sherpa going to Everest is no different from a soldier going to a war. You're never sure if you'll come back," he said.

Since that first ascent, in 1994, Kami has returned to the top of the world almost every summer " and more than once on years like this one.

Initially, he had planned to call it a day after his 25th summit, but now thinks he might have a few more ascents left in him.

Remarkably, he doesn't have any special dietary or exercise regimes " eating simple meals of rice and lentils or chocolate bars while up in the mountains and keeping fit by leading expeditions in the Himalayas and other high-altitude areas throughout the year.

Kami with his family at their home in Kathmandu. Photo: Omkar Khandekar

This has fuelled a rapid increase in the number of adventure companies operating on Everest, with many now competing on price " raising concerns about safety and overcrowding, especially after 11 of the 381 people granted permits by the Nepalese government to climb the mountain this year died while attempting it.

For his part, Kami is proud to say that he has "never had any deaths" among his clients and claims a "100 per cent successful" record.

As for his new-found fame, the veteran guide doesn't think it will amount to much.

"Take Ang Rita Sherpa who climbed Everest 10 times without oxygen," he said. "He was called the 'Snow Leopard'. The government took him everywhere but didn't do anything for him. Now he's old and not in good shape, but the government isn't looking after him."

"I'm new to the record. But when you look at the legends, it seems like their achievements have no value in this country."

Yet that will not stop Kami from continuing to climb the world's highest mountains. It is, he said, "like an addiction. The more you do it, the more you want to do it".

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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