KATMANDU, Nepal — A Nepalese Sherpa guide has once again broken his own record, scaling Mount Everest for the 19th time, mountaineering officials said Thursday.
Appa, who like most Sherpas goes by one name, reached the summit of the 29,035-foot peak early Thursday, guiding foreign clients and accompanied by several other guides, said Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Tshering said Appa and members of the team are safe and returning to lower camps after spending a few minutes on top of the world.
Appa, 48, first climbed Everest in 1989 and has done so almost every year since. His closest rival is fellow Sherpa guide Chhewang Nima, who has made 15 trips.
Appa now lives in the United States, having settled in a Salt Lake City suburb in 2006.
Scores of climbers are also reported to have scaled Everest on Thursday, Tshering said. May is considered the best time to climb the peak.
