Ang Rita Sherpa popularly known as The ‘Snow Leopard' is dead now. Sherpa died suddenly at his daughter's residence in Kathmandu, at around 10 A.M. on 21 September 2020, at age 72. Ang Rita, a native of Thamo village in Solukhumbu after first reached the top of the world in 1983, last stood at top of the world’s tallest mountain, Mt. Everest in 1996, the 10th time without supplementary oxygen. Ang Rita, the first person to climb Mount Everest 10 times, without bottled oxygen has died after a long illness. The death of Ang Rita Sherpa has created a major loss to Nepal and the climbing community among the new Sherpa fellows.
His first eight-thousander was the Mt. Dhaulagiri (8,167-metre) situated in western Nepal with a Belgian expedition in 1982. Mt. Dhaulagiri is considered one of the more difficult mountains to climb. Since the success of the Mt. Dhaulagiri expedition, he never looked back.
The Guinness World Records recognized him as "the only person on the planet to climb Mt. Everest 10 times without bottled oxygen" back in 2017. However, he was also recognized by Guinness World Record "as the first man to climb Everest in winter without supplementary oxygen" in December 1987.
| Date | Route to Summit | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | 7 May 1983 | South East Ridge |
| 2. | 15 October 1984 | South Pillar |
| 3. | 29 April 1985 | South East Ridge |
| 4. | 22 December 1987 | South East Ridge |
| 5. | 14 October 1988 | South East Ridge |
| 6. | 23 April 1990 | South East Ridge |
| 7. | 15 May 1992 | South East Ridge |
| 8. | 16 May 1993 | South East Ridge |
| 9. | 13 May 1995 | North Col – Northeast Ridge |
| 10. | 23 May 1996 | South East Ridge |
