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British mountaineer Kenton Cool conquered Mount Everest for the 20th time on Friday, breaking his own record for the most successful summits by a non-Nepali climber.
He joins over 600 individuals who have reached the peak this month during a window of favorable weather and unusually calm winds at the start of the spring climbing season.
Khim Lal Gautam, a government official at the base camp, told AFP that Cool made it to the summit on Friday morning.
The 52-year-old mountain guide first summited Everest in 2004 and has returned nearly every year since, leading clients up the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) mountain.
His 15th summit in 2021 tied him with American Dave Hahn for the most ascents by a non-Nepali climber, and his effort the following year gave him a solo title.
Cool was once told he would not be able to walk unaided again after a rock-climbing accident in 1996 that broke both his heel bones.
He told AFP in a 2022 interview after his 16th ascent that his Everest record was "not that amazing" in the context of achievements by Nepali climbers.
At least seven Nepali climbers have more than 20 summits under their belts.
Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa, 56, dubbed the "Everest Man," broke his own world record with a 32nd summit of Everest on Sunday.
Lhakpa Sherpa, 52, also broke her own women's record with her 11th summit the same day.
Nepal has issued a record 492 permits to mountaineers this season, and a city of tents hosting foreign climbers and support staff has been set up at the foot of Everest.
The high numbers have rekindled concerns about overcrowding on the mountain, especially if poor weather shortens the climbing window.
An estimated 275 climbers reached the summit on Wednesday, marking the busiest day on record for the peak's southern face.
Three Nepali climbers involved in Everest expeditions have died so far this season.
Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring.
A climbing boom has made mountaineering a lucrative business since Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent in 1953.
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