American climber scales Everest for 10th time

updated 7:28 a.m. ET May 28, 2008

KATMANDU, Nepal - An American climber has scaled Mount Everest for the 10th time, becoming the first non-Nepalese to achieve the feat, mountaineering officials said Wednesday.

David Hahn, 46, of Taos, New Mexico, reached the 29,035-foot summit Tuesday along with fellow American climber Nicole Messner and two Sherpa guides, Tourism Ministry official Ramesh Chetri said.

Pasang Tshering, Hahn's contact person in Katmandu, said Hahn and his teammates were all safe and in good health and were slowly making their way down to base camp on Wednesday. They are expected back from the mountain early next week.

The record for largest number of climbs of the world's highest mountain is held by Appa, a Sherpa guide who earlier this month scaled the peak for the 18th time.

Appa's closest rival is fellow Sherpa guide Chhewang Nima, who has made 15 trips to the Everest summit.

There are at least seven other Sherpas who have climbed Everest more than 10 times.

Nepal temporarily banned climbing on the mountain in early May to prevent any protests against China while climbers carried the Beijing Olympic torch to the top. The team reached the summit on May 8, and Nepal lifted the ban a day later. Everest straddles the Tibet-Nepal border.

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