Pa Dawa Achieves 30th Everest Summit as Nepal Witnesses Major Climbing Milestones

Pasang Dawa Sherpa, popularly known as Pa Dawa, created history on Monday by summiting Mt Everest for the 30th time, becoming only the second climber in the world to achieve the remarkable feat after legendary mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa. The historic ascent marked another milestone in Nepal’s ongoing spring climbing season, which witnessed multiple record-setting achievements on the same day.
The 49-year-old climber from Pangboche reached the summit at 8:25 am during an expedition organised by Climbing The Seven Summits. Pa Dawa first climbed Everest in 1998 while assisting British adventurer Bear Grylls and has since become one of Nepal’s most celebrated high-altitude climbers.
Adding to the historic day, renowned climber Sanu Sherpa successfully summited Mt Lhotse while continuing his mission to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres for the third time. Although the feat remains incomplete, Sanu is already the only climber in history to have conquered all 14 eight-thousanders twice.
Meanwhile, Phunjo Jangmu Lama also returned to the summit of Everest as part of Altipro Adventures’ first Everest expedition. The climber had earlier set the record for the fastest female Everest ascent in 2024.
The favourable weather conditions also resulted in heavy summit traffic, with more than 60 climbers reaching the top of Everest on Monday alone. Expedition operators expect summit numbers to increase further in the coming days as Nepal’s climbing season continues at full pace.