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Two Nepalese Sherpas take one-upmanship to extremes on top of the world.
Pasang Dawa Sherpa and Kami Rita Sherpa, decorated mountain guides and friends, have climbed Mount Everest at the fastest pace in recent times to hold the record for the highest ascent of the world’s highest peak.
It’s a grueling competition with monetary rewards and abundant risks, turning what is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most climbers into a repeat performance for Sherpa veterans.
For decades, the two have been trying to outdo each other, but the rivalry has heated up this year. The series of climbs began on May 14, when 46-year-old Pasang Dawa Sherpa climbed the summit of Everest for a record 26th time. A few days later, 53-year-old Kami Rita Sherpa regained the crown by climbing the mountain for the 27th time.
Then, on Monday, Pasang Dawa Sherpa – eight days after his previous climb – did it again. A day later, Kami Rita Sherpa reached the top again, with a new mark of 28 summits.
It is unclear whether Pasang Dawa Sherpa plans to climb Everest for the third time this season, which began in April and ends in the first week of June. Such a feat has never been accomplished in the history of climbing Everest, mountaineering experts say.
Expedition agency Kami Rita Sherpa says she wants to reach 30 climbs before she retires. Pasang Dawa Sherpa Agency said they are determined to match and eventually break Kami Rita Sherpa’s record. No one was available to comment.
Not everyone in the climbing world is cheering on the friendly contest. Ang Tshering Sherpa, former head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said any competition on the mountain could be deadly.
“Competition on the mountain puts lives at risk,” he said. “Unhealthy competition must be prevented.”
Sherpas, the backbone of Nepal’s climbing industry, have suffered nearly a third of the 315 deaths recorded on Everest over the past century, according to the Himalayan Database, the mountain’s record-keeping body.
Since Pasang Dawa Sherpa first climbed Everest in 1998, he has sometimes climbed the mountain twice a year, and he has made at least one ascent almost every year, with hiatuses due to the pandemic and the earthquake in Nepal.
So is Kami Rita Sherpa.
The competition reflects the limited resources in the climbing industry. Expedition companies with record-holding Sherpas can attract more clients. Expedition agencies offer Sherpa money – the exact amount is unclear – for every record-breaking summit.
This year, Nepal’s tourism department issued 478 permits to foreign climbers for Everest, and about 900 people will climb the summit, including Sherpas. So far this season, 10 climbers, including four Nepalese guides, have died on Everest.
Sherpa is the driving force behind every Everest conquest. He mends ropes, mends ladders and carries food and equipment.
Most of them, including Pasang Dawa Sherpa and Kami Rita Sherpa, grew up around Everest, their dreams of a better life depended on the money they earned while helping foreigners on the summit of Everest. But many leave the profession because of the dangers, low compensation and limited safety nets.
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