Story here. 51-year-old Apa Sherpa reached the top of Mount Everest for the 21st time earlier today. My hat’s off to you, guy!
Unfortunately, an 82-year-old former foreign minister died earlier this week during his bid to become the oldest person to climb the mountain. Gave it his all.
21 times in one day? Dayum, he’s practically just pumping out reps.
I think the times were spread out a bit. 
Still, his first ascent appears to be 21 years ago at age 30, so he’s average a little less than 18 months between ascents. That’s really pretty good.
No doubt the rcord has been broken now, but when we were in Nepal in 1998, a Sherpa broke the speed record for reaching the top. Something like 36 hours, maybe less, and it wasn’t his first ascent either. These guys are incredible.
Wasn’t that an ABBA song?
http://www.k2news.com/everestnews/speedrecordispute3.htm
10 Hours 56 Minutes and 46 Seconds
I think the accent times will differ from what you consider the start point, Base camp, Advanced base camp, or the 4 stops along the way.
The times for Everest are all from Everest Base Camp. As much as it can be, these records are standardized.
They make it seem so easy I often wonder if they’ve been going to the top all along, even long before Sir Edmund Hillary. I had assumed not, since he and Tenzing Norgay always refused to say who was the first between them, meaning that either way the latter would have been the first Sherpa. But now it’s like an afternoon walk. I know that maybe the route is better known now and equipment has improved, but still.
I did wonder this as well, as part of a spiritual trek from long long ago.
Yes. His goal was to demonstrate the capabilities of the elderly.
He succeeded.
The Onion May 31, 1953
Interview with Sherpa
Sir Edmund Hilary recently made his way into the record books by being the first man to scale Mt. Everest, the world’s highest peak. His sherpa tells us about the experience of witnessing such a triumph of man over nature. “I was so proud to be there to witness a man climbing the world’s highest peak. I didn’t think he was going to make it many times. I tried to help him as much as I could but with all the gear strapped to my back, it was all I could do to scramble myself on top. I was a little winded but when I finally pulled him up those last few feet, I knew I was a witness to history. I just hope I can help dozens of other men make that climb to the top before my time comes.”