Nationality: Nepal
Inducted: 2024
Notable Record(s):
- Most ascents of Everest
- Most true-summit ascents of 8,000ers
An ICON because...
Scaling the 8,848.86-m (29,032-ft) Everest – the world’s highest mountain – is on many adventurers’ bucket lists.
Among the lucky few who go on to turn that dream into a reality, standing atop it will be a moment that they treasure for the rest of their lives. For mountain guide Kami Rita, though, climbing Everest is not just a lofty once-in-a-lifetime goal: it’s his livelihood.
As of 22 May 2024, he had climbed this sacred mountain (its Nepalese name, Sagarmatha, means “Goddess of the Sky”) a staggering 30 times. What’s more, as of the same date, he has also topped 11 other “8,000ers” (i.e., mountains that reach more than 8,000 m above sea level).
There’s little doubt that Kami Rita will go down in the annals as one of the most iconic mountaineers of all time.
