Nima Rinji Sherpa, a mountaineer from Nepal, is just eighteen years old, and he is about to accomplish something extraordinary.
Having previously scaled 13 of the highest peaks on Earth, he is now just one summit away from being the youngest person to reach the top of all 14 summits rising to an elevation of over 8,000 meters (26,247 feet).
Sherpa, who already holds multiple records from his ascents of dozens of peaks, said he is on a mission to “inspire a new generation and redefine mountaineering”.
If China gives him permission, his last task, Shishapangma in Tibet, will be waiting for him the following month.
Reaching the summit of each of the 14 “eight-thousanders” is regarded as the pinnacle of mountaineering goals.
Only about 40 climbers have successfully repeated the feat since Italian climber Reinhold Messner did so in 1986. In the process, several other top climbers have lost their lives.
The Himalayas and the nearby Karakoram range, which includes parts of China, India, Pakistan, and Nepal, include all of the world’s mountains.
Reaching each summit requires entering the thin air of the “death zone”, where there is not enough oxygen to sustain life for long.
“When I am in the mountains, I may die anytime,” Sherpa said. “You need to realise how important your life is.”
The young man says the mountains have taught him to stay calm.
“Mentally, I have convinced myself… when I see an avalanche, bad weather, an accident in the mountains I am not in a hurry, I don’t get nervous,” he added.
“I have convinced myself; this is normal in the mountains. I think this has helped me a lot.”
