18-year-old Nepalese climber Nima Rinji Sherpa reached the summit of Mount Shishapangma in Tibet at around 6:05am local time on Wednesday, October 9. The 26,335 foot mountain is the fourteenth tallest in the world, and the last the 8,000 meter peak Nima Rinji Sherpa needed to summit to become the youngest mountaineer to reach the top of the 14 tallest mountains in the world.
According to BBC, Nima Rinji began climbing to high-altitude summits at 16, reaching the top of the eighth tallest mountain in the world, Nepal’s Manaslu, on September 30, 2022. He holds several other records, including being youngest person ever to summit G1, G2, and Nanga Parbat, in addition to be the youngest person to summit both Mount Everest and Lhotse in a 10 hour time period.
Nima Rinji’s motivation goes beyond reaching summits. He hopes this accomplishment shows the younger generation of Sherpas that they’re more than just support climbers and guides and encourages them to rise above those stereotypes. He’s continuously used his accomplishments and his social media reach to share this message through his Sherpa Power Project.
“Through Sherpa Power, I want to show the 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. We are not just guides; we are trailblazers. 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.
To humanity as a whole: let this climb remind us that the peaks we reach together, united, are far greater than any individual achievement. As a teenager, witnessing the division caused by borders, wars,racism and other conflicts, I call for love, respect, and harmony among all people. In this vast world, we are but one human race. No summit, no boundary, no conflict is worth more than the peace and unity we can achieve by understanding and supporting one another.
The mountain does not define us; we define the mountain We are its guardians, similarly the world we live in should be defined by people who reside in it ! Let’s all unite to protect and preserve our natural resources to live a sustainable and adventurous life!” – Nima Rinji Sherpa
On each climb, Nima Rinji was accompanied by his climbing partner Pasang Nurbu Sherpa. The previous record holder, Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, completed the accomplishment when he was 30 years old. He still holds the record for the fastest time to reach the summit of both Everest and K2, completed in 2018 in just 61 days and 55 minutes.