Kathmandu, Jan. 7: For 33-year old Babu Chhiri Sherpa snow and mountains are passions. He already has two world-records to his credit, but seems his hunger for world-records is far from satisfied. “Provided help and encouragement from the government, I am willing to attempt for other records,” he said. However, he did not elaborate the kind of assistance he expected from the government, nor he elaborated on kinds of world-records he is planning for future.

Today, Nepal Mountaineering Association felicitated him for his achievements in mountaineering. In his career spanning six years, that started in 1993, Babu has two world-records to his credit, both created at the Mt. Sagarmatha.

In the first week of May 1999, Babu set a world record by spending the longest time of 21 hours atop Mt. Sagarmatha, one hour beyond his initial target. He summitted the world’s tallest peak on May 6 and descended the next morning 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 nine climbs to the mountain, five times from Nepalese side and four times from the Chinese side, Babu has never used supplementary oxygen.

His another world-record happened earlier in the decade. In 1995 spring, he ascended the mountain twice within two weeks from the Chinese side of Everest’s North Ridge.

Babu Chhiri is only a climb short from the records set by Ang Rita Sherpa and Apa Sherpa with their 10 times successful assaults to the Roof of the World. He also became the only mountaineer in the world to assault Mt. Sagarmatha from Nepalese side twice within a single month in last May.

In return from his record setting bid last May, Babu had denied his interest in becoming the summiteer to scale Mt. Everest for the most time. Though, he had hinted to this newspaper that he wanted to attempt to break the record set by another Nepalese mountaineer Kaji Sherpa. Kaji Sherpa scaled the world’s highest peak in 20 hours and 24 minutes in late 1998 becoming the mountaineer to reach the top in shortest time.

Felicitating Babu Chhiri Sherpa, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar with “full conviction, commitment and determination” pledged that the main agenda for his tenure is to develop tourism in the country. He also said that the skills and bravery displayed by Nepalese in the mountains had acquainted Nepal to the world community.