Nepalese teenager Nima Rinji Sherpa has shattered records for being the youngest mountaineer to summit the world’s 14 highest peaks.
It took the 18 year old 740 days to complete the feat.
Weeks after finishing his 10th-grade high school exams, Sherpa embarked on a daring expedition to climb each of the globe’s eight-thousanders, which are all located in Asia, from the Himalayas to the Karakoram ranges.
Director of the adventure tourism and mountaineering branch, under Nepal’s department of tourism, told BBC News: “This record is difficult to break now.”
The young mountaineer’s road to records
For Nima, this is just one of his many mountaineering accolades.
He has broken records for being the world’s youngest climber to scale Kashmir’s Nanga Parbat, the youngest climber to have scaled Himalayan mountains G1 and G2, and the youngest climber to have scaled both Mount Everest and Lhotse within 10 hours.
Remarkably, he began taking high-altitude mountaineering seriously aged 16, only two years ago.
Words from Nima Rinji Sherpa
In a discussion, he said: “This summit is not just the culmination of my personal journey, but a tribute to every sherpa who has ever dared to dream beyond the traditional boundaries set for us.
“Mountaineering is more than labour, it is a testament to our strength, resilience and passion.”
Along with breaking records and conquering the world’s highest and most dangerous mountains, the young climber wanted to shift the narrative surrounding sherpas, who are known for assisting foreign climbers on their ascents.
“[I wanted to ] rise above the stereotype of being only support climbers and embrace their potential as top-tier athletes, adventurers, and creators.
“We are not just guides; we are trailblazers; let this be a call to every sherpa to see the dignity in our work, the power in our heritage, and the limitless possibilities in our future.”
The Eight-Thousanders
Five of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders – meaning their summits are eight thousand feet above sea level – are located on the Pakistani-Chinese border, such as Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum I.
The rest reside in Nepal, from the iconic Mount Everest to Shishapangma, Cho Oyu and Makalu.
Would you climb any of these mountains?
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