A Nepalese teenager has broken the world record for the youngest mountaineer to scale the 14 highest peaks on Earth.
Nima Rengi Sherpa, 18, stood on the summit of Mount Shishapangma in Tibet at around 06:05 local time on Wednesday.
He became the latest of a handful of people in the world to climb all 14 of the "8,000-meter mountains", recognized by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation as being higher than 8,000 meters above sea level.
Nima began climbing high mountains at the age of 16, and reached all 8,000-meter peaks in 740 days.
He also reached the summit of Mount Manaslu in Nepal, the eighth-highest mountain in the world, on September 30, 2022 - shortly after completing his 10th grade high school exams.
On each trip, the young athlete was accompanied by his climbing partner, Pasang Norbu Sherpa.
The climb, which he completed on Wednesday, was the latest in which he broke records. Nima has a long list of accolades, including being the youngest climber in the world to climb the G1 and G2 Himalayas, the youngest to climb Nanga Parbat in Kashmir, and the youngest to climb Mount Everest and Lhotse in 10 hours.
Nima belongs to the Sherpa ethnic group, a Tibetan ethnic group living in the Himalayas of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The word "Sherpa" is pronounced "sharwa" and comes from Tibetan words meaning "eastern people". Sherpas are known for their mountaineering and trekking skills, and are often called upon to support foreign climbers and trekkers.
However, the 18-year-old had another ambition in life as he stood on the summit of Mount Shishapangma on Wednesday morning: to dispel the stereotype of Sherpas as mere helpers who help foreign climbers on their expeditions.
“This summit is not just the culmination of my personal journey, it is a tribute to every Sherpa who dared to dream beyond the traditional boundaries set for us,” Nyima Rengi said after climbing Mount Shishapangma.
“Mountaineering is more than just a job, it is a testament to our strength, resilience and passion,” he added.
The word “Sherpa” is usually used to describe someone who works as a mountain guide or porter in the Everest region.
Nyima Rengi said he wanted to show the younger generation of Sherpas that they can “rise above the stereotype of being support climbers and take pride in their potential as top-notch athletes, adventurers and innovators.”
“We are not just guides, we are pioneers. Let this be a call to every Sherpa to see the dignity in our work, the strength in our heritage, and the limitless possibilities in our future,” he added on Wednesday.
Nima Rengi comes from a family of record-holding mountaineers, and now runs Seven Summit Treks, Nepal’s largest mountaineering company, the group with which he completed the climb of Shishapangma.
Speaking to the BBC shortly after setting the record, his father, Tachi Lakpa Sherpa, recounted the moment he broke the news to him by phone.
“He said to me: ‘Dad, I have reached the summit at 6:05 Chinese time. My colleague Pasang Norbu and I have reached it,’” Tachi said.
“Because he is so highly trained and professional, he wasn’t even happy, it was normal for him. I said: ‘I have trusted you. Come back safely.’”
Rakesh Gurung, director of the adventure tourism and mountaineering branch of Nepal's Department of Tourism, confirmed to the BBC that Nima Rengi had set the record.
"His record was confirmed this morning. He will now be given a certificate after returning to the training camp," he said.
The previous record holder for the youngest climber to climb all 8,000m peaks was also a Nepali climber, Mingma Gyabu "David" Sherpa, who achieved the title at the age of 30 in 2019.
"This record is difficult to break now," Gurung said.
All 14 of the world's 8,000m peaks are in Asia, in the Himalayas and Karakoram ranges.
