On Sunday, two Nepalese climbers broke their own records for the number of climbs on Everest in the male and female categories respectively.
One climber, 56-year-old Kami Rita Sherpa, known as the “Everest Man”, climbed the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) peak for a record 32nd time, while 52-year-old Lakpa Sherpa, known as the “Mountain Queen”, climbed the summit for the 11th time.
What do we know about the ascendants?
Kami Rita reached the summit of Everest at around 10:12 am (0427 GMT) at the head of an international expedition team, according to Mingma Sherpa, president of expedition operator Seven Summit Treks.
Lalakpa Sherpa, who in 2000 became the first Nepali woman to successfully climb and descend the mountain, was on the top at 9:30 am.
According to Khimlal Gautam, Everest Base Camp coordinator of the tourism department, she became part of an expedition run by the Seven Summit Club agency.
Both climbers, who belong to the Sherpa ethnic group native to the Himalayan region of Nepal, began their careers as porters before becoming professional guides.
Kami Rita made her first ascent in 1994 while working for a commercial expedition.
Fears of overcrowding on Everest rise again
Nepal has issued a record 492 permits to people wanting to climb Everest this season.
Since most climbers make their attempts accompanied by at least one Nepalese guide, a few thousand climbers are expected to climb the mountain in the next few days.
The high numbers have raised renewed concerns about overcrowding on the mountain, especially when bad weather shortens the period suitable for climbing.
Expedition operators say restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities on the Tibetan side of the mountain have been a factor behind the increase in the number of climbers.
Delays in opening of routes and unstable snow conditions have also reduced time for climbing.
Everest can be climbed from both Nepal and Chinese-administered Tibet, but climbing is more common from the southern, Nepalese side.
Climbing Everest remains dangerous
Although climbing Everest has become relatively frequent since Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary made the first confirmed ascent of the summit in 1953, the feat remains dangerous, with more than 320 people having died in the attempt since then.
Officials say an average of five to 10 climbers die on Mount Everest in a climbing year.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko