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At just 18 years old, Nepalese mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa was on the verge of achieving something extraordinary.
He has already conquered 13 of the world’s highest peaks and is now just one mountain away from becoming the youngest person to conquer all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet).
The Sherpa, who has climbed dozens of peaks and set multiple records, said his mission is to “inspire a new generation and redefine mountaineering.”
Next month he will face his final challenge – climbing Tibet’s Shishapangma, if China grants permission.
Climbing all 14 eight-thousand-meter peaks is considered the pinnacle of mountaineering aspirations.
Only about 40 climbers have managed to follow in the footsteps of Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who first accomplished the feat in 1986. Many other top climbers have died in the pursuit.
All mountains are located in the Himalayas and the neighboring Karakoram range, which spans Nepal, China, India, and Pakistan.
To reach each summit, one must enter the thin-air “death zone,” where there is not enough oxygen to sustain long-term life.
“When I’m in the mountains, I could die at any time,” Sherpa said. “You have to realize how important your life is.”
The young man said that the mountains taught him to stay calm.
“Psychologically, I have convinced myself that… when I see avalanches, bad weather, accidents in the mountains, I don’t get anxious, I don’t get nervous,” he added.
“I’ve convinced myself that this is normal in the mountains. I think that’s helped me a lot.”
– ‘The true value of life’ –
The teenage climber, who is from the Sherpa tribe known for their mountaineering prowess, is no stranger to dangerous terrain.
His uncle, Mingma Gabu “David” Sherpa, currently holds the record for the youngest person to have climbed all 14 peaks. He achieved this in 2019 at the age of 30.
His father, Tashi Sherpa, grew up in the remote Sankhuwasabha district as a yak herder before taking up mountaineering as a teenager with his siblings.
The entrepreneurial brothers currently lead Nepal’s largest mountaineering expedition company, Seven Summit Treks, and its sister company, 14 Peaks Expedition.
“I was born into a wealthy family,” the teenage climber said. “But climbing taught me what hardship is and the true value of life.”
Growing up in the bustling capital of Kathmandu, Sherpa initially preferred playing football.
He was more interested in making films and photography than following in his father’s footsteps.
“My whole family is mountaineering enthusiasts. I’ve always loved climbing and exploring,” he said. “But I never wanted to make it my own in mountaineering.”
Instead, he would take his camera to the mountains during school holidays.
But two years ago, he put down his camera and took up mountaineering, and has been breaking records ever since.
In August 2022, Sherpa climbed one of the 14 peaks for the first time, reaching the summit of Manaslu (8,163 meters), the eighth highest peak in the world, at the age of 16, becoming the first teenager to reach the summit.
The last peak he climbed was Kangchenjunga in June, again setting a record as the youngest person to summit the world’s third highest peak.
“I learned a lot about nature, the human body and the human psychology,” he said.
“Everything in the world is learned from the mountains.”
– ‘Inspiring newcomers’ –
When not on the mountain, the student runs on a treadmill every day and avoids junk food.
“Physically and mentally you should be very fit to climb big mountains,” said his father Tashi Sherpa, adding that he has been helping him prepare for the challenge for years.
He added: “He will inspire the newcomers.”
Nepali guides – usually ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Everest – are considered the backbone of the Himalayan mountaineering industry.
They carry most of the equipment and food, secure the ropes and repair the ladders.
Nepalese climbers have long lived in the shadow of paying foreign clients — climbing Everest costs more than $45,000 — but their own prowess is slowly being recognized.
The teenager’s vision is that in the future mountaineering will also be recognised as a challenging sport for Nepali climbers.
“My goal is to make mountaineering a professional sport,” he said.
His hero was Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the man who, along with New Zealander Edmund Hillary, made the first ascent of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.
Sherpa believes his idol is as important to mountaineering as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo are to football.
“Norgay is in that category,” he said.
However, after seeing the impacts of climate change and commercial mountaineering on mountaineering, he became passionate about taking a sustainable approach to mountaineering and planned to study environmental science.
“This is the greater purpose of what I do,” he said.
“When I first started climbing, it was purely for myself,” he added.
“But then I realised there was a lot we could do in mountaineering and a lot of ways to help the community.” – AFP
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