KATHMANDU: Elite Nepali mountaineer Phurba Tenjing Sherpa has been conferred honorary membership by the Rotary Club of New York Queens in recognition of his extraordinary achievements in high-altitude climbing and his broader contributions to social inclusion and climate advocacy.

Sherpa, accompanied by his wife Rojita Buddhacharya, travelled to New York for the occasion, presenting the club with its official flag along with a photograph of him hoisting it atop Mount Everest on May 18 last year — a gesture that drew together the spirit of global connection and Rotary's ethos of service.

A record-breaking career
Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished high-altitude climbers of his generation, Phurba Tenjing Sherpa has summited Everest 17 times and holds three Guinness World Records. His mountaineering journey began with a milestone that set the tone for a career defined by boundary-breaking firsts — he completed his first Everest ascent without supplemental oxygen at just 17 years of age.

Over the years, he has guided a remarkable series of historic climbs involving groups that have rarely been represented on the world's highest peaks, including the first inclusive women Everest summiteers, the oldest summiteer at age 77, the first double-amputee to summit Everest, the first women journalists to reach the top, and the first individual living with HIV to summit the mountain. He has also guided record-setting ascents for climbers from diverse national and cultural backgrounds, and facilitated the fastest female summits on both Everest and Manaslu.

Voice for climate justice
Beyond his climbing achievements, Sherpa has emerged as a prominent advocate for climate justice. Having witnessed firsthand the accelerating retreat of Himalayan glaciers and the mounting environmental risks facing mountain communities, he has made global awareness of fragile mountain ecosystems a central part of his public mission.

The honour
Rotary Club President Karma Lama, Assistant District Governor Michael Ashkenazy, and Vice President Pasang Sherpa formally presented Sherpa with the honorary membership at an evening that celebrated perseverance, inclusion, climate responsibility, and international goodwill — values the club said are reflected in both Sherpa's legacy and Rotary's own mission.

Phurba Tenjing Sherpa also serves as a goodwill ambassador for the We Will Rise Foundation Nepal and the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park in Italy.