At 3:13 a.m. on May 23, Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa did what no one else had done earlier. The 29-year-old man from a Himalayan village stood at the summit of Mount Everest, for the fourth time in just fifteen days.
His name may not spark global headlines like foreign climbers making record attempts with helicopters, and lab-made gases. But in the bitter cold and the thin air above 8,848.86 metres, there’s no hype. There’s only grit.
“This is a world record and a new limit of human endurance,” said Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expedition, the agency Tashi represents. “He aimed to do it within twenty days—but finished in fifteen. It’s unbelievable.”
The feat dwarfs last year’s record by Dawa Phinjhok Sherpa — three summits in eight days.
It also puts Tashi ahead of photojournalist and mountaineer Purnima Shrestha, who summited three times in over a week — herself a trailblazer among climbers.
Shortcuts didn’t power Tashi’s climb. He didn’t bypass acclimatisation with xenon gas, as four British ex-special forces soldiers allegedly did in their under-five-day sprint.
His first summit came on May 9, as a part of the rope-fixing team that lays the route for others. On May 14, he was back. On May 19, he climbed a third time, this time guiding Bangladeshi mountaineer Ikramul Hasan Shakil, who had walked 1,400 km from the Bay of Bengal to Everest Base Camp for his “From Sea to Summit” challenge. On May 23, Tashi stood atop Everest for the fourth time this season.
Tashi was born in Phortse, a village where nearly every family has sent someone up the mountain. His father, Ang Chhiring, once worked as a porter, hauling loads through the tough trails to base camp.
Tashi started as a trekking guide in 2017. In 2019, he reached Everest’s summit for the first time.
“In an extraordinary feat of strength, endurance and prowess as an elite mountaineer. From the treacherous Khumbu Icefall to the summit ridge, he has conquered the world's highest peak time and time again, proving that true legends are forged above 8,000 meters. This achievement is not only a personal milestone, but a moment of pride for Nepal and the global climbing community,” wrote expedition company Mount Everest Expedition.
Chepal Sherpa, his fellow climber, summed up what many in the climbing circuit felt: “Huge congratulations for achieving the unimaginable—summiting Everest four times in just 15 days! Your strength, skill, and unbreakable spirit have set a new world record and inspired millions. You’ve not just climbed mountains—you’ve moved them. Proud of you, brother!”
Tashi returns to no red carpet. Just another descent, back to base camp on Saturday, Kathmandu on Tuesday, and then, back to life.
“Tashi represents a new generation of Sherpa climbers—guides, record-breakers, storytellers, and trailblazers,” said Ang Tshiring Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. “They are climbing in the era of technological advancement. The world is now connected through smart devices, which, among other things, has even made Everest climbs faster.”
Nepal issued 468 Everest permits this spring. Each one costs $11,000. Commercial expeditions are growing, crowded by record attempts, and controversies. But Tashi Gyalzen Sherpa’s climb cuts through the clutter.