A Nepalese teenager has broken the world record for the youngest mountaineer to climb Earth's 14 highest peaks.
Nima Rinji Sherpa, 18, stood atop Mount Shishapangma in Tibet around 6:05 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
In doing so, he became the last of a few dozen people to have climbed the world's “eight thousand,” the 14 mountains that the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recognizes as rising above 8,000 meters. altitude.
Sherpa, who started climbing high altitude mountains at the age of 16, climbed the eight thousand in 740 days.
He reached the summit of Nepal's Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, on September 30, 2022, shortly after completing his tenth grade secondary school exams.
On each hike, the young athlete was accompanied by his climbing partner, Pasang Nurbu Sherpa.
Wednesday's record ascent marked the latest in a long list of accolades for Nima Rinji, who is also the world's youngest mountaineer to scale the G1 and G2 Himalayan mountains; the youngest climber to scale Nanga Parbat in Kashmir; and the youngest climber to scale Mount Everest and neighboring Lhotse in 10 hours.
But on Wednesday morning, at the summit of Mount Shishapangma, the 18-year-old young man had another life ambition: to overturn the stereotype of Sherpas, simple assistants who assist foreign climbers in their ascents.
“This summit is not only the culmination of my personal journey, but a tribute to all Sherpas who dared to dream beyond the traditional boundaries set for us,” Nima Rinji said on Wednesday, shortly after climbing the Mount Shishapangma.
“Mountaineering is more than just a job, it is a testament to our strength, resilience and passion.”
Although the word “Sherpa” is commonly used to describe someone who is a mountain guide or porter working in the Everest region, it is actually the name of an ethnic group of people living in the mountains from Nepal.
Nima Rinji said he wanted to prove to the younger generation of Sherpas that they can “move beyond the stereotype of being a simple support climber and realize their potential as high-level athletes, adventurers and creators.”
“We are not just guides; we are pioneers,” he said Wednesday. “Let this be a call to every Sherpa to recognize the dignity of our work, the power of our heritage, and the limitless possibilities of our future.”
Nima Rinji comes from a family of record-breaking mountaineers who now run Seven Summit Treks: Nepal's largest mountaineering expedition company and the group with which he climbed Mount Shishapangma.
Speaking to the BBC shortly after the record was set, his father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, recounted the moment he broke the news via satellite phone.
“He told me, 'Dad, I reached the summit at 6:05 a.m. Chinese time. 'My colleague Pasang Norbu and I arrived,'” Tashi Lakpa recalls.
“Being highly qualified and professional, he wasn't even happy; that was normal.”
“I said, 'I trusted you. Come back safe and sound.'
Rakesh Gurung, director of the adventure tourism and mountaineering branch of the Nepal Tourism Ministry, confirmed to the BBC that Nima Rinji had set the record.
“The peak was confirmed this morning. Now I understand that there is talk of giving a certificate after returning to base camp,” he said.
The previous record holder for the youngest climber to climb the eight thousand was also a Nepalese mountaineer, Mingma Gyabu “David” Sherpa, who reached it at the age of 30 in 2019.
“This record is difficult to beat now,” noted Gurung.
The 14 eight thousand are located in Asia, in the Himalayas and Karakoram ranges.
