KATHMANDU: Nepal's first mountaineer-parliamentarian, Mingma David Sherpa, has summited Mount Everest, becoming the first elected lawmaker in history to stand on the roof of the world, and carrying Nepal's Parliament flag to the top.

He reached the summit this morning at 6:00 am, according to the base camp field office. The summit adds an extraordinary new chapter to one of the most remarkable careers in Himalayan mountaineering, and marks a milestone for Nepal's Parliament itself. He has already descended back to base camp.

"Thank you so much supporters. Good wishes! I summited this morning at 6 o’clock, and now I am safely back at base camp. Thank you everyone for your support, prayers, and encouragement throughout this journey," Mingma David wrote in his social media post.

Mingma David, who was elected to the House of Representatives under the Rastriya Swatantra Party through the proportional representation system earlier this year, had reached Camp II just three days after leaving Kathmandu earlier this week. The swift acclimatisation and ascent were consistent with the form of a climber who holds four Guinness World Records, for the fastest combined ascent of Everest and K2 within 61 days, for traversing Everest and Lhotse in under 20 hours, for completing all 14 eight-thousanders at the youngest age ever, and for the fastest ascent of K2.

This is his eighth summit of Everest, and his 34th ascent above 8,000 metres overall. He has also summited K2 five times, including as part of the historic first winter ascent of the peak in January 2021, one of the most celebrated achievements in modern mountaineering. He is additionally recognised as the world's highest long-line rescuer, following a 2013 operation on Dhaulagiri, and in 2016 his team executed what is widely regarded as the highest human-powered rescue ever, retrieving a climber from 8,600 metres on Everest without helicopter support. Across his career he has conducted over 100 rescues, including multiple operations in the death zone above 8,000 metres.

Honoured with the Piolets d'Or Asia, Sherpa of the Year in 2019, and a National Award from the Government of Nepal, Mingma David began his journey as a high-altitude porter from Taplejung before rising to become one of the most decorated climbers alive. He co-founded Elite Exped alongside Nims Purja and served as first vice president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, where he pushed for better safety standards, equipment regulations, and professional training for guides and porters.

From porter to Parliament to the summit of the world, the arc of Mingma David Sherpa's life is unlike any other in Nepal's mountaineering history.