Mon May 19 05:50:26 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**British Guide Kenton Cool Shatters Record with 19th Everest Ascent**
**Kathmandu, Nepal – May 19, 2025** – British mountain guide Kenton Cool, 51, has once again reached the summit of Mount Everest, marking his 19th successful ascent. This achievement surpasses his own record for the most climbs of the world’s highest peak by a non-Sherpa guide.
Cool, from southwest England, summited the 8,849-meter mountain on Sunday, May 18, 2025, alongside other climbers. Iswari Paudel of Himalayan Guides Nepal, who equipped the expedition, confirmed that Cool was in good condition and descending from the summit.
Cool’s remarkable climbing journey began in 2004, with near-annual ascents interrupted only by the cancelled 2014 season due to the tragic avalanche that claimed the lives of 16 Sherpa guides, the 2015 earthquake-triggered avalanche that killed 19 people, and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
The current Everest climbing season is seeing hundreds of climbers and guides attempting to reach the summit before the monsoon season brings hazardous conditions at the end of the month.
While Cool holds the record for non-Sherpas, the overall record for Everest ascents belongs to Nepali Sherpa guide Kami Rita, who has summited an astounding 30 times. Kami Rita is currently on the mountain and expected to make another climb soon.
First Piper 