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A Nepalese teenager has broken the world record for the youngest mountaineer to summit Earth\u2019s 14 highest peaks.<\/p>\n
Nima Rinji Sherpa, 18, stood atop Tibet\u2019s Mount Shishapangma at about 06:05 local time on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
In doing so, he became the latest of just a few dozen people to have scaled all of the world\u2019s \u201ceight-thousanders\u201d – the 14 mountains that the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recognises as more than 8,000 metres above sea level.<\/p>\n
Sherpa, who started climbing high-altitude mountains at the age of 16, summited all eight-thousanders in 740 days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
He reached the peak of Nepal\u2019s Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain, on 30 September, 2022 – shortly after finishing his 10th-grade high school exams.<\/p>\n
On each trek the young athlete was accompanied by his climbing partner, Pasang Nurbu Sherpa.<\/p>\n
The record-shattering ascent on Wednesday marked the latest in a long list of accolades for Nima Rinji, who is also the world’s youngest climber to have scaled Himalayan mountains G1 and G2; the youngest climber to have scaled Kashmir\u2019s Nanga Parbat; and the youngest climber to have scaled both Mount Everest and nearby Lhotse within 10 hours.<\/p>\n
Standing atop Mount Shishapangma on Wednesday morning, though, another life ambition was front of mind for the 18-year-old: to subvert the stereotype of Sherpas as mere helpers who assist foreign climbers on their ascents.<\/p>\n
“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,” Nima Rinji said shortly after scaling Mount Shishapangma.<\/p>\n
“Mountaineering is more than labour, it is a testament to our strength, resilience and passion.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Although the word ‘Sherpa’ is commonly used to describe someone who is a mountain guide or porter working in the Everest area, it is in fact the name of an ethnic group of people who live in the mountains of Nepal.<\/p>\n
Nima Rinji said he wants to prove to younger generation of Sherpas that they can “rise above the stereotype of being only support climbers and embrace their potential as top-tier athletes, adventurers, and creators”. <\/p>\n
“We are not just guides; we are trailblazers,” he said on Wednesday. “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.”<\/p>\n
Nima Rinji comes from a family of record-holding mountaineers, who now run Seven Summit Treks: Nepal\u2019s largest mountaineering expedition company, and the group with whom he completed the Mount Shishapangma climb.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the BBC shortly after the record had been set, his father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, recounted the moment he delivered the news via satellite phone.<\/p>\n
“He told me, ‘Dad, I reached the summit at 6:05 Chinese time. ‘My colleague Pasang Norbu and I have arrived’,” Tashi Lakpa recalled.<\/p>\n
“Being highly trained and professional, he wasn’t even thrilled; it was normal. I said ‘I had faith in you. Return safely’.”<\/p>\n
Rakesh Gurung, Director of Adventure Tourism and Mountaineering Branch under Nepal’s Department of Tourism, confirmed to the BBC that Nima Rinji had set the record.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe peak has been confirmed this morning. Now I understand that there is a matter of giving a certificate after returning to the base camp,” he said.<\/p>\n
The previous record holder for the youngest mountaineer to scale all eight-thousanders was also a Nepali climber, Mingma Gyabu \u2018David\u2019 Sherpa, who achieved it at the age of 30 in 2019.<\/p>\n
“This record is difficult to break now,” Gurung noted.<\/p>\n
All 14 eight-thousanders are located in Asia, in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n