Sherpa extends own record for climbing Mount Everest after reaching summit 26th time

Kami Rita, 52, first scaled Mount Everest back in 1994

A Nepalese sherpa has broken his own record by scaling the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, for the 26th time.

Kami Rita, 52, set the new bar for the number of visits to Everest’s 8,849m summit on Saturday while trekking with a group of sherpas, who made the expedition to fix ropes along the route for climbers in the coming peak season.

"Kami Rita has broken his own record and established a new world record in climbing," said Taranath Adhikari, director-general of the department of tourism in the capital Kathmandu.

The group reached the summit at around 7pm local time, which is considered late given the risk of deteriorating weather conditions.

Mingma Sherpa of the Seven Summit Treks mountaineering company said Mr Rita along with 10 others reached the summit without any issues and returned later to safety at the lower camps.

Sherpas are skilled guides who help Everest’s climbers attain their goal of reaching the top of the mountain.

Mr Rita used the most popular climbing route that was pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay in 1953, according to Reuters.

The sherpa first scaled Everest in 1994 and since then has been making the same trip nearly every year. Mr Rita has also scaled several other major peaks, including the second-highest mountain in the world K2, Cho-Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.

Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa waves towards media (REUTERS)

Mr Rita's wife Jangmu said she was happy with her husband's achievement.

The month of May is considered to be the ideal time to scale the mountain due to warmer weather conditions.

The Himalayan nation has issued 316 permits to climbers this year after facing a backlash for overcrowding with 408 in 2021.

The mountain peak has been climbed 10,657 times since it was first scaled in 1953, from both the Nepali and Tibetan sides. According to the Himalayan database, at least 311 people have died in their pursuit to scale the mountain.