Sherpa breaks Everest record
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KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- A Nepalese Sherpa has broken the record for the fastest ascent of Mt. Everest, scaling the world's highest mountain in 8 hours and 10 minutes.
Pemba Dorji Sherpa, 26, surpassed the previous record by more than two hours, reaching the summit at 2:10 a.m. local time on Friday (2015 GMT Thursday), officials said.
The previous record of 10 hours and 46 minutes was set last year by fellow Sherpa, Lakpa Gheylu.
Pemba and Lakpa had been competing against each other to chip away at the record.
Pemba set a new record in May 2003 with a time of 12 hours and 43 minutes but Lakpa beat that effort three days later.
Sherpas are native to the high altitude Himalayan mountains in Nepal and renowned for their mountaineering prowess.
The ascention record has been getting shorter and shorter thanks to climbers being allowed to use ropes and ladders put in place by other climbing teams.
Most climbers take two to three weeks to summit Mt. Everest because they must acclimatize to the lack of oxygen.
Pemba's record is a far cry from the more than seven weeks it took Sir Edmund Hilary and his climbing partner, the late Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, to reach the summit from their base camp on May 29, 1953.
Hillary and Tenzing had to forge their own route without the benefit of modern equipment to become the first men to stand at the top of the world.