British Climber Sets Everest Record With 20th Ascent

British climber Kenton Cool set a new record among non-Sherpa climbers on Friday after reaching the summit of Mount Everest for the 20th time.

The 52-year-old scaled the world’s highest mountain before dawn and then began descending to lower camps. Expedition organizers said he was expected to return to base camp over the weekend.

Cool first climbed Everest in 2004 and has returned to the mountain regularly since then. He said the ascent had never become routine.

“It never gets any easier or any less frightening. It’s the tallest mountain in the world and with it comes an incredible sense of majesty”, Cool said.

The climbing season has also been marked by tragedy. Two Indian climbers died during their descent, one at Camp II and the other near the Hillary Step in the so-called death zone. Their deaths brought the toll for the current season to five.

The overall Everest record is held by Nepali Sherpa Kami Rita, who has reached the summit 32 times.

(reuters, max)