British climber Kenton Cool summits Mount Everest for 19th time

British mountaineer Kenton Cool on Sunday reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 19th time, breaking his own record for the most ascents by a climber not belonging to the ethnic Sherpa community.

The 51-year-old reached the peak early on Sunday, confirmed by the Nepali tourism department's Everest base camp office, according to a spokesman.

Cool first climbed the 8,849-metre peak in 2004 and has since returned almost every year. Mount Everest sits on the border between Nepal and China and can be climbed from either side.

The overall record for the most Everest summits is held by Sherpa guide Kami Rita Sherpa, who reached the summit for a 30th time last year and is currently leading another expedition, aiming for his 31st ascent.

Sherpas are an ethnic group from the region whose members often work as guides and porters for mountaineers from abroad. Kami Rita Sherpa himself was first a porter and later a mountain guide.

Everest's peak season is from April to June, since this is the best weather window for climbing the mountain.