Everest record-holder Kami Rita Sherpa urges limit on climbers as crowds swell on the peak

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A renowned Mount Everest guide who this week scaled the peak a record 32nd time urged authorities on Friday to limit climbers on the summit.

The number of climbers making the ascent on the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak from the Nepalese side is higher this season because China has closed the route from Tibet. Everest can be scaled from either the southern side in Nepal or the northern side in China.

On Wednesday, 274 climbers reached the summit, the highest number on a single day from the Nepal side. A total of 494 climbers have been issued permits by Nepal’s mountaineering authorities and an equal number Sherpa guides are accompanying them.

“It was very crowded this year compared to last year because there was more clients,” Kami Rita Sherpa told reporters at Kathmandu airport after flying back from the mountain. “There is a need for authorities to control this number.”

Climbers only get a few windows of good weather to make their attempt on the summit. A large number of people waiting in a fixed rope line they are all clipped into increases the risks of a traffic jam and exposes the climbers to increased hours of harsh weather.

Kami Rita's closest competitor, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, scaled the peak for the 31st time on Friday, which was his second successful ascent this week

Kami Rita, 56, first climbed Everest in 1994, and has been making the trip nearly every year since. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success of foreign climbers aspiring to stand on top of the mountain each year.

His father was among the first Sherpa guides. In addition to Everest, Kami Rita has climbed other peaks that are among the world’s highest, including K2, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.

Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent, arrives at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita, second right, returns from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Son of renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita arrives to welcome his father returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent, is welcomed as he arrives at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita, center right, returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent is presented with shawls and flowers as he arrives at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

An upgraded car and a “painful” reminder not to lose sight of the Formula 1 fundamentals could be George Russell's path back to the front of the field at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Russell's fourth place at the last race in Miami gave his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli a yawning 20-point lead in the standings after four races. The 19-year-old Italian has won three in a row.

Russell said one reason he lost ground was focusing too much on the standout feature of the 2026 cars, their massive electrical power output, and neglecting the basics.

“Dealing with the tires, dealing with the setup, just fundamentals of racing, has kind of been put on the back-burner because we’re all so focused on energy management,” he said.

“We missed some key things because we were focused elsewhere and that was a good little reminder. As painful as it was, it was a very much-needed weekend because I think it’s going to prove very beneficial.”

Antonelli's lead grew in Miami because McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull brought upgrades that helped them fight for the podium places. Now it's Mercedes' turn to bring upgraded parts for the car that's won all four Grand Prix races in 2026 so far.

Canada offers the chance of a big points swing. It's hosting a sprint race Saturday for the first time, putting another maximum eight points on offer.

The threat of rain in Montreal on Sunday would shake things up, too. After storms predicted for Miami never materialized, the 2026 cars have yet to race in wet weather.

It's early to talk of the title at just the fifth round of the season but a fourth win in a row would put the 19-year-old Antonelli into an exclusive club. Every driver who's won four or more consecutive Grands Prix has been an F1 champion at some point in their career.

History does offer a little encouragement to Russell, though. The one time in F1 history that a driver won four consecutive races in a season but not the title came in 2016 when Lewis Hamilton was beaten by his then-Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

More recently, Oscar Piastri won three in a row for McLaren last year and still lost to teammate Lando Norris.

It's a busy time to be an F1 engine manufacturer.

The extra engine power agreed for 2027, with electrical power turned down and less need to recharge batteries, got a cautious welcome Thursday from Max Verstappen, the biggest critic of the 2026 cars, who said it was “almost back to normal.”

Meanwhile, the FIA is pushing to return to old-school V8s from 2030, and there's more immediate change coming after this weekend.

Under a new-for-2026 rule, after the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA will confirm some manufacturers will get extra development time and budget to improve their engines, but only if they're a certain margin behind the best-performing engine, widely agreed to be Mercedes.

The scheme, known as ADUO, is meant to nudge F1 gently toward engine parity over the next few years and avoid what FIA rules guru Nikolas Tombazis last year dubbed “eternal misery” for teams who picked slower engines.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Race fans walk through pit lane during the open house at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ferrari team members work on their cars at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain speaks speak during the drivers' press conference at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

Mercedes drivers George Russell of Britain, left, and Kimi Antonelli of Italy speak during an interview in the paddocks at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race in Montreal, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)