Nepal's Kami Rita breaks Everest climbing record
Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita scaled Mount Everest for a record 30th time on Wednesday, completing his second climb this month to the top of the world. Rita reached the 8,849-metre summit at 7:49am local time, according to Khim Lal Gautam, a Nepalese government official at Everest base camp. His first ascent of this year's climbing season was on May 12 guiding foreign clients. He also climbed Mount Everest twice last year, setting the record for the most climbs of the world's highest mountain on the first and extending it less than a week later. His closest competitor for the most climbs of Mount Everest is fellow Sherpa guide Pasang Dawa, who has 27 successful ascents of the mountain. Rita first climbed Everest in 1994 and has been making the trip nearly every year since.  He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success each year of foreign climbers who seek to stand on top of the mountain. (AP)