110602 Nepal Sherpa climbs Everest for record 21st time

[SM Foundation Nepal]

Nepal Sherpa climbs Everest for record 21st time
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110511/as-nepal-everest-record/

A Nepalese Sherpa on Wednesday broke his own record for most climbs of
Mount Everest by scaling the world's tallest peak for the 21st time.

Apa, who is leading an environmental expedition that plans to carry
down tons of garbage left behind by past climbers, took advantage of
good weather to reach the 29,035-foot (8,850-meter) summit with a
group of other climbers, said Tilak Pandey, a government
mountaineering official stationed at the base camp.

"They said they are enjoying the view and taking pictures on the
summit," said Ang Tshering of Asian Trekking, which organized the
expedition.

Apa, who like many in the Himalayas' Sherpa community uses only one
name, grew up in the foothills of Everest and began carrying equipment
and supplies for trekkers and mountaineers at age 12. He first climbed
Everest in 1989 and has repeated the feat almost annually.

The 50-year-old Apa and his team climbed all night Tuesday and
Wednesday morning before reaching the summit at 9:15 a.m. local time
(0330 GMT).

Before leaving for the mountain in April, Apa had said his team
planned to clear 8,800 pounds (4,000 kilograms) of garbage from the
lower part of the mountain and another 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms)
from near the summit.

Apa has long campaigned about the degradation he has seen on the
Himalayan peaks due to global warming and other issues.

He said when he first began climbing Everest, the trail to the summit
was covered with ice and snow. Now, it is dotted with bare rocks. The
melting ice has also exposed deep crevasses, making expeditions more
dangerous.

Apa moved to the United States in 2006 and lives in the Salt Lake City
suburb of Draper