A veteran Sherpa mountain guide on Thursday scaled Mount Everest for a record 18th time, beating his own record as more than 80 other climbers reached the summit, mountaineering officials said, according to dpa. Appa Sherpa, 47, reached the 8,848-metre summit along with another climber from his Eco-Everest Expedition, said Ang Tshering Sherpa, chairman of Asian Trekkings, which organized the expedition. Appa, who first scaled the world's highest mountain in 1989, climbed from the mountain's Nepalese side. "The climbers took advantage of a break in the weather to push for the summit early Thursday from their high-altitude Camp 4 at 7,950 metres above sea level," Ang Tshering said. The expedition was part of international efforts to remove garbage left on the peak by mountaineers and to highlight climate change in the Himalayas. Meanwhile, the Nepalese government said 86 other climbers reached the summit of Everest Thursday in a day of successes. The ministry of tourism confirmed 10 climbers from the IMG Everest Expedition also reached the summit Thursday morning. Officials said those reaching the summit were three Americans, a Romanian and a Canadian along with five Sherpa guides. Those reaching the summit also included five Nepalese women climbers from the First Inclusive Women Sagarmatha Expedition representing diverse Nepalese ethnic groups. The Nepalese Tourism Ministry said 12 members of the Vietnam Spirit to the World expedition also reached the summit. The climbers included a Thai national, three Vietnamese and an American. More than 110 climbers have reached the summit of Mt Everest since Wednesday and more attempts were expected in the coming days, officials said. Summit attempt was delayed this year because of a Nepalese government ban on climbing the peak until May 10 to facilitate Chinese plans to carry the Olympic torch to the summit. The ban was imposed on China's request because of fears the torch relay might be disrupted by protesters. It reached the summit May 8. According to the Nepalese government, 30 expeditions are currently attempting to climb Mount Everest. May is considered the best time to climb the mountains in the Nepalese Himalayas before the monsoon makes the area almost inaccessible from June to October.
