KATHMANDU: Nepali-American mountaineer Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest (8,848.86m) for the 25th time on Thursday morning, adding another milestone to an already extraordinary Himalayan career.

Ang Dorjee was part of an Adventure Consultants (AC) team locally handled by Himalayan Guides Nepal (HGN), all of whom reached the top at 6:25am Nepal Time on May 21, according to Iswari Paudel, Managing Director of the Himalayan Guides Nepal.

Born in 1970 in Pangboche — a village in the Khumbu region with deep mountaineering roots — Ang Dorjee began his mountain career as a porter at the age of 12, following in the tradition of his father, Nima Tenzing Sherpa, who climbed alongside legendary British mountaineer Chris Bonington. He went on to earn international recognition as the climbing Sirdar for the Adventure Consultants team during the catastrophic 1996 Everest season, a role that tested every dimension of his leadership under extreme conditions.

Today, Ang Dorjee balances his life between the Himalayas and the United States, where he works as a wind turbine mechanic near Boise, Idaho. His high-altitude record extends well beyond Everest,  he has completed 29 successful ascents of peaks above 8,000 metres, including Cho Oyu, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum II, and he continues to serve as a senior guide and Sirdar for Adventure Consultants.

The team's ascent on Thursday took them across the narrow cornice traverse and the Hillary Step before reaching the top in light breezes under clear, sunny skies.

The full summit roster from the AC/HGN team:

• Stella Hawkins — 1st summit
• Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa — 25th summit
• Chhewang Dorji Sherpa — 17th summit
• Ngima Chhiring Sherpa — 16th summit
• Pasang Rinji Sherpa — 4th summit
• Rob Smith - 10th summit
• Shika Raju - 1st summit
• Pasang Bhote - 16th summit
• Tashi Thundu Sherpa - 17th summit
• Karma Geljen Sherpa - 1st summit

The team's combined tally reflects the layered experience that defines high-altitude expeditions at the highest level, from a climber reaching the top of the world for the first time, to one who has done so 25 times over three decades.