Behind almost every famous Everest summit stands a Sherpa. These are the guides, record-breakers, and pioneers whose skill on the world’s highest mountain has shaped its entire history often without the recognition their clients received.
This guide profiles nine of the most famous Sherpas, from the man who stood on the summit first in 1953 to the climbers still breaking records today. The numbers here are current as of the 2026 climbing season, which saw two of these legends extend their own world records on the very same day.
Records last verified: July 2026. Everest records change most springs we update this page each season.
Everest Records at a Glance
| Sherpa | Record / Claim to Fame | Key Number |
|---|---|---|
| Tenzing Norgay | First to summit Everest (with Hillary), 1953 | The first |
| Kami Rita Sherpa | Most Everest summits ever | 32 (2026) |
| Lhakpa Sherpa | Most Everest summits by a woman | 11 (2026) |
| Apa Sherpa | Former record-holder, climate advocate | 21 summits |
| Pasang Dawa Sherpa | Closest rival to Kami Rita | 30 summits |
| Pasang Lhamu Sherpa | First Nepali woman to summit (1993) | Pioneer |
| Nima Rinji Sherpa | Youngest to climb all 14 eight-thousanders | Age 18 |
| Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa | 4 Everest summits in 15 days (2024) | Speed record |
| Phurba Tashi Sherpa | Shared the old summit record | 21 summits |
1. Tenzing Norgay — The First
Tenzing Norgay: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
Every Sherpa story starts here. On 29 May 1953, Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand’s Edmund Hillary became the first people confirmed to reach Everest’s summit known in Nepali as Sagarmatha. Tenzing had attempted the mountain several times before, and his experience was central to the expedition’s success.
His legacy is bigger than one climb. Tenzing became the international face of Sherpa mountaineering and proved that the men who carried the loads could also lead the way to the top. The Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in India still carries his name today.
2. Kami Rita Sherpa — The “Everest Man”
Kami Rita Sherpa: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
Kami Rita Sherpa holds the record no one else has come close to: the most ascents of Everest ever. In May 2026, at age 56, he reached the summit for the 32nd time, breaking his own record set the year before.
Born in the village of Thame in Solukhumbu, Kami Rita first summited in 1994 at age 24 and has climbed the peak nearly every year since sometimes twice in a single season. His father was among the first professional Sherpa guides. He also holds the record for the most ascents of 8,000-metre peaks, with 43 total, including K2, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Manaslu.
What makes his story resonate isn’t just the number. After his 32nd summit, he dedicated the record to Nepal’s entire mountaineering community the guides, porters, cooks, and route-fixers who work in the shadows. He has also been openly critical of Everest’s overcrowding and says he does not want his own sons to follow him into the profession, calling the work too dangerous.
3. Lhakpa Sherpa — The “Mountain Queen”
Lhakpa Sherpa: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
Lhakpa Sherpa holds the record for the most Everest summits by a woman: 11, set on 17 May 2026 the same day Kami Rita reached his 32nd. In 2000, she became the first Nepali woman to summit Everest and survive the descent.
Her story reaches far beyond the mountain. For years she worked ordinary jobs in the United States housekeeping, a 7-Eleven, Whole Foods while raising a family and returning to Everest season after season. She climbed through, and eventually left, an abusive marriage, and rebuilt her life around the mountain that made her famous. The 2023 Netflix documentary Mountain Queen brought her story to a global audience.
Honest note: Lhakpa’s record is remarkable partly because she did it without the sponsorship, fame, or support that many male climbers enjoyed. That context is the point of her story, not a footnote to it.
4. Apa Sherpa — The Climate Voice
Apa Sherpa: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
Before Kami Rita, “Super Sherpa” Apa Sherpa held the summit record, reaching the top 21 times before retiring. He first climbed Everest in 1989.
Since retiring, Apa has become one of the most important voices on how climate change is reshaping the mountain. Having watched the Khumbu region change across two decades of climbing, he speaks with authority about melting ice, unstable terrain, and the growing risks his community faces. His foundation focuses on education for children in the Everest region.
5. Pasang Dawa Sherpa — The Rival
Pasang Dawa Sherpa: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
Every record needs a challenger. Pasang Dawa Sherpa known as “Pa Dawa” is Kami Rita’s closest rival, with 30 Everest summits as of 2026. He completed his first summit four years after Kami Rita, and the two have effectively pushed each other higher for years.
6. Pasang Lhamu Sherpa — The Pioneer
Pasang Lhamu Sherpa: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
Pasang Lhamu Sherpa became the first Nepali woman to summit Everest, in 1993 but died during the descent. Her achievement broke a barrier in a deeply gendered climbing culture, and she is honoured as a national hero in Nepal. Lhakpa Sherpa has cited her as the woman who came before.
Honest note: Her story is a sober reminder that these records carry real risk. The descent, not the summit, is where many climbers die.
7. Nima Rinji Sherpa — The New Generation
Nima Rinji Sherpa: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
Nima Rinji Sherpa represents where Sherpa mountaineering is heading. In 2024, at just 18 years old, he became the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks. He has spoken about wanting to redefine what Sherpas are known for not just as support climbers, but as record-setting athletes in their own right.
8. Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa — The Speed Record
Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
In 2024, Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa did something extraordinary: he summited Everest four times in just 15 days. It’s a record that speaks to the sheer physical capacity elite Sherpas bring to the mountain a pace no client climber could match.
9. Phurba Tashi Sherpa — The Quiet Record-Holder
Phurba Tashi Sherpa: Image Credit goes to Original Creator
Phurba Tashi Sherpa summited Everest 21 times, sharing the summit record with Apa Sherpa before Kami Rita surpassed them both. Featured in the documentary series Sherpa, he became one of the more visible faces of the professional guiding community before stepping back from high-altitude work at his family’s request a decision that quietly captured the human cost of the job.
Why Sherpas Dominate These Records
It’s a fair question: why are these records almost entirely held by Sherpas? Part of the answer is genetic generations living at high altitude have given Sherpas physiological adaptations that let them use oxygen more efficiently and acclimatise faster. But that’s only half of it.
The larger reason is economic and cultural. Guiding on Everest is one of the few well-paying jobs available in the Solukhumbu region, so the most capable climbers return year after year, building summit counts no recreational climber could. As Lhakpa Sherpa put it, Sherpas now lead the entire climb from opening the route to performing rescues. The records reflect a profession, not just a bloodline.
Honest note: These records also come at a cost the numbers don’t show. Sherpas face far higher risk than the clients they guide, and for a long time were paid a fraction of what expedition companies charged. That imbalance celebrated records, undervalued lives is a real part of the Everest story worth remembering.
FAQs
Who holds the record for most Everest summits?
Kami Rita Sherpa holds the record with 32 successful ascents, reached in May 2026. He has broken his own record repeatedly since 2018.
Who was the first Sherpa to climb Everest?
Tenzing Norgay, who summited on 29 May 1953 alongside Edmund Hillary the first confirmed ascent of the mountain.
Which woman has climbed Everest the most times?
Lhakpa Sherpa, the “Mountain Queen,” with 11 ascents as of May 2026 the record for any woman.
Why are Sherpas so good at climbing Everest?
Sherpas have inherited genetic adaptations for high altitude that improve oxygen efficiency and acclimatisation. Combined with guiding being a key regional profession, this produces summit records no recreational climber can match.
Who is Kami Rita Sherpa’s closest competitor?
Pasang Dawa Sherpa, with 30 Everest summits as of 2026 two behind Kami Rita.
Who was the first Nepali woman to summit Everest?
Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, in 1993. She reached the summit but died during the descent and is honoured as a national hero in Nepal.
How many times has Kami Rita climbed Everest in 2026?
His 2026 summit on 17 May was his 32nd overall, extending his world record.