At 18, Nepalese Nima Rinji Sherpa becomes the youngest mountaineer to climb the 14 peaks above 8,000 meters – Libération

2024-10-09 09:55:00

An unprecedented ascent: almost 14 peaks, at more than 8,000 meters above sea level. This is the feat accomplished by Nima Rinji Sherpa, who reached the summit of Mount Shisha Pangma early this Wednesday 9 October, thus becoming the youngest climber in history.

Climbing the planet’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters above sea level is already a feat, but its scale becomes unprecedented when the winner also sets a record for precociousness. This Wednesday, October 9, an 18-year-old Nepalese mountaineer made history by climbing the “14 of 8,000». In the Rinji Sherpa “reached the summit this morning” informed his father, Tashi Sherpa. To climb Mount Shisha Pangma, located in the Chinese province of Tibet, the young “He had trained well and was confident he could do it”.

The conquest of the fourteen highest peaks in the world, located in the Himalaya and Karakoram massifs, is considered one of the “Grails” of mountaineering. Since the first ascent of the 14 peaks by the Italian Reinhold Messner in 1986, only around fifty mountaineers have succeeded in the feat. Furthermore, more than twenty climbers have reached the Shisha Pangma base camp at an altitude of 8,027 meters this season in the hope of completing their quest to reach the 14 peaks above 8,000 metres.

The Sherpa who “frees itself from stereotypes”

The young man comes from a family of Sherpas who created the largest Himalayan expedition company, Seven Summit Peaks: “High mountaineering is more than a job, it is a testament to our strength, our resilience and our passion.” An event all the more remarkable as these exploits are rarely carried out by the Sherpas themselves. Nepalese climbers – most of them from the valleys of Mount Everest – have long been considered the little hands of mountaineering, responsible for carrying gear and manning routes to Himalayan peaks for many foreign climbers.

Their exploits have recently earned them acceptance as mountaineers in their own right. “This summit is not only the culmination of my personal journey, but also a tribute to all the Sherpas who have dared to dream beyond the limits that have traditionally been imposed on us”rejoiced Nima Rinji Sherpa, president of the Nepalese High Mountain Association.

“It’s a proud moment for our country”the young man “he freed himself from all stereotypes, his success proves that everything is possible with strong determination”added the president of the Association. Nima Rinji Sherpa started high mountain climbing at 16, climbing Mount Manaslu in August 2022. The previous youngest winner of the “14 of 8,000» it was Nepalese Mingma Gyabu, nicknamed “David” Sherpa, who successfully climbed in 2019 at the age of 30.