KATHMANDU: A Nepali mountaineering official says a former Sherpa guide who was the first person to scale Mount Everest 10 times has been hospitalised after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association said Monday that Ang Rita Sherpa was rushed to a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, last week after he fell unconscious. He remains in serious condition, though his is situation is improving.

The 68-year-old Sherpa scaled Everest 10 times from 1983 to 1996, when he quit climbing because of pressure from his family and health-related problems.

Several other climbers have passed his record, but he remains one of the most famous Everest climbers.