British climber Kenton Cool has achieved a remarkable milestone by summiting Mount Everest for the nineteenth time, extending his own record for the most ascents of the mountain by a non-Nepali climber.
Cool, 51, who works as a mountain guide, first reached the summit of Everest in 2004. Since then, he has regularly returned, guiding clients up the world’s highest peak nearly every year. A post on his Instagram account confirmed his latest achievement: “Kenton summited Everest for the 19th time at 11am Nepalese time (0515 GMT) on Sunday.”
In 2021, Cool matched the previous record of 14 summits, held by American climber Dave Hahn, and went on to break the record the following year, securing the title for himself.
Challenges faced during his Everest ascent journey
Cool’s career is especially notable for the challenges he has overcome. In 1996, he suffered a severe rock-climbing accident that resulted in broken heel bones, leading some to believe he would never walk unaided again. Despite this, he went on to achieve significant success in mountaineering.
In a 2022 interview after his 16th summit, Cool modestly remarked that his Everest record wasn’t particularly extraordinary when compared to the achievements of many Nepali climbers. “I’m really surprised by the interest… considering that so many of the Sherpas have so many more ascents,” he said at the time.
Climbing boom and tragic losses
This season, Nepal has issued 458 climbing permits, and a bustling base camp with tents for climbers and support staff has sprung up at the foot of the mountain. With many Everest aspirants relying on Nepali guides, more than 900 climbers are expected to reach the summit this season.
Nepal, home to eight of the world’s ten tallest peaks, attracts hundreds of climbers each spring, contributing to the growth of mountaineering as a lucrative industry. The first successful ascent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa in 1953 marked the beginning of a flourishing mountaineering tradition.
Last year, over 800 climbers reached the summit, including 74 who made the ascent from the northern Tibet side. However, this season has also seen some tragic losses, with two climbers—one from the Philippines and another from India—dying on the mountain.
