KATHMANDU: Phurba Tashi Sherpa, 48, has scaled Mt. Everest 21 times, setting a record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak.
A veteran Sherpa guide was 28 when he first reached atop Mt Everest. In some seasons, he even ascended it thrice a year.
“The record means nothing to me”, having set a record of most accents of 8, 000 mountains, he said, adding, “It is easy to reach atop Mt Everest. But once we are atop the highest peak, the only thing to worry about is how to climb down safely.”
He holds the record for the most ascents of eight-thousanders, taking his total ascents to 30. These include 21 ascents of Mt Everest, five of Cho Oyu, two of Manaslu, and one each of Shishapangma and Lhotse.
In 2009, Tashi was featured in the Discovery Channel series ‘Everest: Beyond the Limit’. He is the central figure in the 2015 documentary which recounts events surrounding the 2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche, after which Tashi retired. He reached the summit of Everest 21 times, including three times in the 2007 season alone.
Likewise, he has acted in the movie called ‘Sherpa’, which was released on October 2, 2015. It is a documentary film that deals with the events of 18 April 2014, when a huge avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall on Everest claimed lives of 16 Sherpas.
He has a wife and five children. He lives in Khumjung, a small village in Khumbu Rural Municipality of Solukhumbu district, Nepal.
Phurba’s Mt Everest Ascents
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May 24, 1999
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May 27, 2001
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May 17, 2002
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May 25, 2002
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September 8, 2002
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May 22, 2003
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May 31, 2003
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May 23, 2004
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June 4, 2005
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April 30, 2006
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April 30, 2007
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May 15, 2007
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June 14, 2007
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May 5, 2009
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May 21, 2009
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May 5, 2010
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May 22, 2010
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May 5, 2011
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May 20, 2011
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May 10, 2013
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May 24, 2013 (21st Everest summit)
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