The 48-year-old Nepali, who has lived in Utah since 2006, reached the summit of Mount Everest for the 18th time Wednesday night (this morning in Nepal).

His wife, three children and a friend celebrated by ordering a pizza to share at their home in Draper. They also performed a puja ceremony with incense and prayers to help Apa get back down the mountain safely.

Apa broke his own world record, one he has owned since his 10th summit in 1999.

"I feel strong and well. There are a lot of people on the top. I am going to go back down now," Apa said during a satellite phone call to his family Wednesday at 6:18 p.m.

As he did on 14 other summits, Apa used oxygen to reach the top of Chomolungma or Sagarmatha, Nepalese names for the tallest mountain on Earth.

The phone call was a relief to the Sherpa family, who have felt especially far from Apa during his past two climbs, after they moved to the Salt Lake Valley in December 2006.

"It makes me a little bit happy and a little bit afraid when he is on Everest," said Pemba Sherpa, 17. "We are so proud of him. Everything he does, he does for us and for our family and for our country."

Apa and his wife, Yangji, moved to Utah to provide a better education for their children: Tenzing, 22; Pemba; and Dawa, 13. They have lived with Jerry Mika since their arrival.

Apa had no plans to make an 18th attempt this year until he heard about the Eco-Everest Expedition. Formed by Dawa Steven Sherpa, the son of a man Apa had previously worked for, the Eco-Everest expedition was created to study the effect of global warming on the glaciers of the Himalayas and to educate the people of the Himalayan highlands about the dangers of flooding due to increasing melt water.

"We have plenty of water now, but in 30 years there may be no water," Apa said earlier this week. "We need to tell people so they can make changes and to be prepared."

Apa told The Salt Lake Tribune before his departure that the summit attempt was not about padding his world record, but to educate people of the Himalayas and the world about how global warming will change his beloved mountains. His expedition last year with the SuperSherpas was intended to raise awareness of the need for better education in his homeland.

Apa made it to the top of Everest - 29,029-feet above sea level - for the 18th time in 20 tries and for the seventh consecutive year. The next closest number of summits is 15, held by two other Sherpas.

Will there be a try for No. 19?

It can only be assumed that he will provide the same answer the past four times it has been asked: "The mountain will always be there," he has said with a sly smile each time.

Apa will return to Salt Lake City on May 31 at 12:30 p.m. at Salt Lake City International Airport on a Southwest flight. Last year he was greeted by a throng of family, friends and media at the airport.

brettp@sltrib.com