A veteran Sherpa guide set the world record today for most ascents up Mount Everest as he climbed the peak for a record 30th time.

Climber and guide Kami Rita, 54, reached the 29,000ft summit at 7:49 am on May 22 on what was already his second climb up Mount Everest this month.

He is now the only human being to have climbed the mountain 30 times, the country's Department of Tourism confirmed. It breaks his previous record of 29 times.

Kami said: 'Embarking on yet another historic summit journey to conquer the world’s highest peak, I found myself faced with the unpredictable challenges of Mother Nature.

'Despite harsh weather conditions, our team pressed on with unwavering courage and determination.'

Khim Lal Gautam, a government official at the Everest base camp, said: 'This morning at 7:49 AM, Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record he had set just nine days earlier. This marks his 30th ascent to the top of the world.'

Kami, a senior mountain guide with the 14 Peaks Expedition and Seven Summit Treks, had earlier hiked up Everest while assisting foreign tourists on May 12.

The seasoned climber was reported to have begun his mountaineering journey as an expedition guide in 1992, before he first scaled Mount Everest in 1994.

He has since hiked up the mountain almost yearly and conquered other challenging peaks such as K2, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and Manaslu.

The cost of climbing Mount Everest varies between 31,500 GBP and 70,800 GBP, though expenses increase in unfavourable weather.

Nepal also charges foreign climbers 8,650 GBP for permits.

Since Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Percival Hillary of New Zealand first reached the Everest summit in May 1953, approximately 7,000 mountaineers have successfully ascended the mountain from Nepal.