Veteran Sherpa Ang Dorjee reaches Everest summit for 24th time
Renowned climber Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa cements his legacy with a 24th successful ascent of the world’s highest peak.
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Renowned climbing guide Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 24th time on Sunday, confirming his place among the world’s most experienced and oldest Sherpa guides.
He led a team from Adventure Consultants, reaching the summit around 8:52 a.m. local time, said Iswari Paudel, managing director of Himalayan Guides. The team included American climber Darby Allin and Sherpas Pasang Bhote, Tashi Thundu, and Pemba Sherpa, all of whom successfully summited alongside Ang Dorjee. Paudel said this marked Ang Dorjee’s 24th ascent, praising the climber’s endurance and skill.
According to the Himalayan Database, Ang Dorjee is 61 years old, making him one of the oldest guides actively climbing Everest. Born in Pangboche, a Sherpa village in Nepal’s Khumbu region, he began working as a porter at age 12 and climbed Everest for the first time in 1992 at the age of 22. His mountaineering career spans over three decades and includes repeated ascents of other major Himalayan peaks such as Cho Oyu, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II, and Ama Dablam, as well as high-altitude climbs on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, and Mt. Rainier.
Ang Dorjee has survived several deadly incidents during his career. He narrowly escaped the 2014 Everest avalanche that killed 16 Sherpas, including three from his team. He was also a key Sherpa guide in the 1996 Everest disaster that claimed eight lives, including that of New Zealand climber Rob Hall. His calm leadership during that crisis became one of the defining moments of his career.
He later immigrated to the United States in 2002 after meeting his future wife during the course of his guiding career at Everest base camp. He now lives in Boise, Idaho, where he works as a wind turbine mechanic while continuing to return to Nepal each spring for Everest expeditions.
Despite Everest’s mounting risks—nearly 300 climbers have died on the mountain, a third of them Sherpas—Ang Dorjee remains a central figure in Himalayan climbing. With 24 ascents of Everest, he continues to guide international climbers and mentor younger Sherpas on the mountain he has called his second home for more than 30 years.
