One Sherpa has summited Mount Everest 30 times — more than most people have visited a single foreign country.
How to Play: Guess if the climber on the right has MORE or FEWER Everest summits than the one on the left.
Name A
Name B
Top 10 Most Everest Summits
Mount Everest summit counts track each successful ascent. Sherpas dominate due to professional guiding work — most non-pro climbers do it once.
| # | Name | Career Everest Summits | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kami Rita Sherpa | 30 | summits |
| 2 | Pasang Dawa Sherpa | 27 | summits |
| 3 | Apa Sherpa | 21 | summits |
| 4 | Phurba Tashi Sherpa | 21 | summits |
| 5 | Kenton Cool (UK) | 18 | summits |
| 6 | Ngima Nuru Sherpa | 11 | summits |
| 7 | Mingma Tenzi Sherpa | 11 | summits |
| 8 | Lhakpa Sherpa (women) | 10 | summits |
| 9 | Babu Chiri Sherpa | 10 | summits |
| 10 | Pemba Dorje Sherpa | 9 | summits |
Everest as a Career
Kami Rita Sherpa first summited in 1994 and added his 30th in May 2024. He guides commercial expeditions multiple times per season.
Apa Sherpa held the record at 21 from 2011-2017 before being passed by Phurba Tashi Sherpa, then Pasang Dawa, then Kami Rita.
Reinhold Messner did Everest just once (1978) — but he was the first to do it WITHOUT supplemental oxygen, a more difficult feat than multiple summits with oxygen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most Everest summits ever?
Kami Rita Sherpa at 30 summits as of May 2024.
Why do Sherpas summit so often?
It’s professional work. They lead 1-3 commercial expeditions per year, each summiting if conditions allow.
Has any non-Sherpa climbed it 10+ times?
Yes — Kenton Cool (UK) has 18 summits, the most by a non-Sherpa.
Did Hillary really only do it once?
Yes — Sir Edmund Hillary’s only summit was the historic first, May 29, 1953 with Tenzing Norgay.
Note: Summit counts per Himalayan Database 2024.
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