Kathmandu, May 28: This spring Babu Chhiri Sherpa became the first person to hold the highest number of world records in conquering Mt. Sagarmatha. An exhilarated crowd thronged the Tribhuvan International Airport to welcome the gallant mountain guide from Taksendu VDC of Solukhumbu district today with khadas (scarves) and floral bouquets.

On May 21 at 8:56 a.m. he set foot atop the world’s highest peak setting a new record for the fastest climb on the mountain. Despite unfavourable weather condition it took him only 16 hours and 56 minutes from the Base Camp to reach the pinnacle. “Strong winds and extreme cold at the South Summit delayed me by almost an hour,” he said.

Normally, other climbers take some four to five days with breaks in between to scale the 8,848 meters mountain. “My familiarity with the route helped me achieve this record,” Babu Chhiri said. The May 21 summit was his tenth successful climb to the Mt. Sagarmatha.

Only three mountaineers in the world have records of assaulting the mountain ten times and more. Apart from Babu Chhiri, mountaineering veteran Ang Rita Sherpa, popularly called the ‘Snow Leopard’, is the first person to summit Mt. Sagarmatha for ten times. Another Nepalese, Appa Sherpa holds the record of climbing the mountain for the most times. On May 24, Appa stepped on the Roof of the World for the eleventh time.

Babu Chhiri broke the record made by Nepalese Kaji Sherpa back in 1998 when Kaji had speed-climbed the mountain in 20 hours and 24 minutes. “But I am not in competition with anybody,” said the modest Babu Chhiri.

“I am happy that a compatriot broke my record, the national pride of having a mountaineering record is safe with Nepal for the time being,” said Kaji Sherpa who was at the airport to congratulate Babu Chhiri for his latest achievement. Kaji Sherpa did not climb any mountain this season. “But I have not taken retirement, I will try to improve my timing, but mind you, I am not in a competition with Babu,” he said.

In the first week of May last year Babu set a world record by spending the longest time of 21 hours atop Mt. Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest), one hour beyond his initial target. He summitted the world’s tallest peak on May 6, 1999 at 10:55 a.m. and camped on the icy summit till 7:55 a.m. the next day despite medical claims that it would be impossible for a human to spend more than an hour at a height of 8,848 metres without supplementary oxygen.

In his ten climbs of the mountain, six times from Nepalese side and four times from the Chinese side, Babu has never used supplementary oxygen.

“I could have stayed longer, but I ran out of gas and water,” he had said in his return last Spring. Not only the medicine practitioners, but meteorologists as well had reservation about Babu’s record setting bid to Everest. Normally winds of 55 knots atop Sagarmatha are considered dangerous, but Babu Chhiri Sherpa climbed and spent 21 hours there when the speed of the wind measured above 65 knots on the anemometer.

Babu Chhiri also holds the world record of ascending Mt. Sagarmatha twice in the same mountaineering season. In 1995 Spring, he ascended the mountain twice within two weeks from the Chinese side of Everest’s North Ridge. In May 1999, he scaled the majestic height of 8,848 meters twice within three weeks from the Nepalese side.

“Even in my second climb this season I did not feel physical exhaustion,” he had said to his daily last Spring.

This season also he tried to climb the mountain twice, but due to his eye problem and harsh weather, he abandoned his bid from 8,400 meter on May 6 earlier this month.

Babu Chhiri reached the Everest top for the first time in 1990 and since then his Everest saga has been going from strength to strength.