KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 21 (UPI) -- A Nepalese climber holding the record of climbing Mount Everest the most number of times bettered it Thursday with his 19th success on the world's tallest peak.
Apa Sherpa, also known as "Super Sherpa," reached the summit of the 29,029-foot Himalayan peak for a record 19th time Thursday morning, CNN reported. More than 200 climbers have died in the past trying to reach the top of the peak.
Apa, who hails from Nepal's famed Sherpa community of mountain guides known for their extraordinary agility and skills on the mountains, now lives in Salt Lake City in the United States, the father of three children, the U.S. network reported.
Apa, who is concerned about the problem of piling garbage on Everest left behind by mountaineering expeditions, says he plans to remove more than 2 tons of trash from the peak, CNN said.
Apa achieved his first success on Everest in 1990 and has repeated the feat every year since then.
Commenting on his latest climb, relayed by radio, Apa was quoted as saying, "I am at the top and looking at all the prayer flags. I have just satisfied the deities and placed the Bhumpa (a sacred copper vase) on the summit."
"It is so cold here ... I am heading down," he added.
