Who Has the Most Everest Summits? Record Holders

When people ask who holds the most Everest summits, the answer points straight to Nepal's Sherpa community and, above all, to one man: Kami Rita Sherpa. The record for the most Everest summits is not held by a celebrity adventurer with sponsors and cameras, but by a working mountain guide who has quietly climbed the world's highest peak more than thirty times. This guide breaks down the current record holders, how the numbers have changed in recent years, and why nearly every name at the top of the list is a Sherpa from the Khumbu region.

Key takeaways

• Kami Rita Sherpa of Nepal holds the all-time record with 32 summits, set on 17 May 2026.
• Pasang Dawa Sherpa is second with 31 summits, trailing Kami Rita by a single climb.
• Lhakpa Sherpa holds the women's record at 11 summits (May 2026).
• Kenton Cool of the UK leads non-Nepali climbers with 20 summits.
• Sherpa guides dominate the list because they climb professionally every season, often supporting paying clients.
• The records keep moving each spring, so any "most summits" figure is a snapshot in time.

The all-time record: Kami Rita Sherpa

Kami Rita Sherpa is the name to know. On 17 May 2026, at age 56, he reached the top of Everest for the 32nd time, once again extending a record that he himself already held. That climb broke his previous mark of 31 summits, which he had set on 27 May 2025.

His story stretches back more than three decades. Kami Rita first stood on the summit in 1994, when he was 24 years old, and has returned almost every year since the 1990s. In some seasons he has summited twice within a matter of weeks. Guinness World Records recognises him for the most ascents of Everest by any person, and in December 2025 he was also presented with a certificate recognising 42 high-altitude summits across the world's tallest peaks.

What makes the achievement striking is its consistency. Reaching the summit even once is a serious mountaineering feat that many highly experienced climbers never accomplish. Doing it more than thirty times, across changing conditions and decades of seasons, is a record that may stand for a very long time.

Why he keeps climbing

Kami Rita works as a professional climbing guide and rope-fixer. Each spring, teams of Sherpas head up the mountain ahead of clients to set the route, carry loads and establish the path through the Khumbu Icefall and beyond. For guides like him, a summit is part of the job rather than a one-time personal goal, which is exactly why the record sits with someone who climbs every year.

Second place and the chasing pack

The competition for the most Everest summits is almost entirely a Nepali, Sherpa-led affair.

| Climber | Recorded summits | Nationality | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Kami Rita Sherpa | 32 | Nepal | All-time record | | Pasang Dawa Sherpa | 31 | Nepal | Second overall | | Lhakpa Sherpa | 11 | Nepal | Women's record | | Kenton Cool | 20 | United Kingdom | Most by a non-Nepali |

Figures reflect reported totals through the 2026 spring climbing season and continue to change.

Pasang Dawa Sherpa

Right behind Kami Rita is Pasang Dawa Sherpa, another Nepali guide. During the 2026 spring season he pushed his total to 31 summits, including two ascents in a single week, putting him just one climb behind the record holder. The two have effectively traded the spotlight over the years, with Kami Rita reclaiming or extending his lead each time a rival drew close. It is a friendly, slow-motion rivalry between two of the most experienced high-altitude workers alive.

The women's record: Lhakpa Sherpa

Among women, the record for the most Everest summits belongs to Lhakpa Sherpa of Nepal. On 17 May 2026 — the same day Kami Rita logged his 32nd summit — she reached the top for the 11th time, extending her own world record.

Her place in mountaineering history runs deep. In 2000, she became the first Nepali woman to successfully climb Everest and descend safely, and she has continued returning to the mountain across the years. Often referred to in the press as a "mountain queen," she has built her record while balancing life and work far from the Himalaya, which makes her repeated returns all the more remarkable. To understand the broader role women play in Nepal's mountain culture, see our pieces on the Sherpa people and who the Sherpas are.

The non-Nepali record: Kenton Cool

If you set aside the Sherpa guides, the leading figure is British mountaineer Kenton Cool, who holds the record for the most Everest summits by a non-Nepali climber. He reached the top for the 19th time on 18 May 2025, breaking his own mark, and has since pushed his total to 20 ascents — the most of any climber from outside Nepal.

Cool first summited Everest in 2004 and has returned almost every year since, frequently guiding clients to the top. His tally is a reminder that even the most accomplished foreign climbers sit well behind the Sherpa leaders, simply because the guides are on the mountain working season after season.

Why Sherpas dominate the record books

It is no accident that the top of the most-summits list is almost entirely Nepali. Several factors stack up in the Sherpa community's favour:

• They climb professionally. Guides and rope-fixers ascend every season as part of their work, not as a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
• They live at altitude. Many Sherpas grow up in high Khumbu villages, giving them a lifelong adaptation to thin air that foreign climbers must build slowly.
• Repeated exposure builds expertise. Knowing the route, the weather windows and the hazards intimately makes each subsequent climb safer and more efficient.

This is the same reason the success-rate and safety story on Everest is so closely tied to Sherpa support. If you are curious about the odds and dangers behind the headline records, read our guides on the Everest summit success rate and how many people die on Everest.

A record that respects the people behind it

The "most Everest summits" story is often told as a numbers race, but it is really a tribute to the Sherpa guides who make almost every modern expedition possible. The figures belong to working professionals who shoulder enormous risk so that others can chase their own summit dreams. Kami Rita himself has publicly called for limits on the number of climbers allowed on the peak, reflecting concerns about overcrowding and safety on the world's highest mountain.

How to follow the record

Because guides summit each spring, the "most summits" number is never final. Here is how to keep track and put it in context:

• Watch the spring season. Most record-setting climbs happen in May, during the short pre-monsoon weather window.
• Note the category. Records differ for overall summits, women, and non-Nepali climbers — always check which one a headline means.
• Treat figures as snapshots. A total that is accurate today may be surpassed next season, so look for the date attached to any number.

If the human side of Everest fascinates you, you might also enjoy our overview of Mount Everest itself, the youngest and oldest people to climb Everest, and what life is really like inside the death zone.

Sources

• Kami Rita — Wikipedia
• Nepali sherpa Kami Rita makes history with 31st summit of Mt Everest — Guinness World Records
• Kami Rita Sherpa receives Guinness World Records certificate for 42 high-altitude summits — Kathmandu Post
• Two Nepali Sherpa climbers break own records on Mount Everest — Al Jazeera
• Lhakpa Sherpa scales Everest for record 11th time — Kathmandu Post
• British mountaineer breaks his own record for most Everest climbs by a non-Nepali — CNN
• Kenton Cool — Wikipedia
• Everest record-holder Kami Rita Sherpa urges limit on climbers — PBS News