A Nepalese official says the Sherpa has once again broken his record by climbing Everest 26 times

(Reuters) – A Nepalese Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest for the record 26th time, a government official said Sunday, beating the previous record set last year.

Cami Rita Sherpa52, climbed the 8,848.86-meter (29,031.69-foot) mountain Saturday along the traditional southeast ridge route that leads 10 more Sherpa climbers.

“Kami Rita has broken his own record and set a new world climbing record,” said Taranath Adhikari, Director General of Tourism Department in the capital Kathmandu.

Kami’s wife Rita, who gave her name as Gangmo, said she is happy with her husband’s accomplishments.

The climbing route used by Kami Rita was pioneered by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953 and remains the most popular.

Nepal this year issued 316 permits to climb Mount Everest in the peak season, which runs through May, compared to 408 permits last year, the highest number ever.

The Himalayan country, which relies heavily on climbers for foreign currency, faced criticism for allowing overcrowding and the death of many climbers on the mountains in 2019.

Mount Everest has been climbed 10,657 times since it was first ascended in 1953 from the Nepalese and Tibetan sides — it has ascended many times, and 311 people have died so far, according to the Himalayan Mountains Database.