Youngest Nepalese to Conquer World’s Highest Peaks Aims to Redefine Sherpa Legacy

Featured & Cover Youngest Nepalese to Conquer World’s Highest Peaks Aims to Redefine Sherpa Legacy

Eighteen-year-old Nima Rinji Sherpa’s journey as a mountaineer has been one of grit and endurance, with evidence of the extreme conditions he’s faced still visible on him. His ears remain tinged black from frostbite, a reminder of the frigid, oxygen-poor environments he braves for his craft. This month, Nima etched his name in history by becoming the youngest person to scale all 14 of the world’s highest mountains, a feat achieved by only a select few. Yet, the young Nepalese climber isn’t pausing. Instead, he’s set on climbing Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak, with Italian mountaineer Simone Moro, intending to attempt it in winter under the unforgiving alpine style conditions.

Discussing his upcoming plans in a recent video call from Kathmandu, Nima outlined the challenges he faces for this climb. “That means we’re climbing an 8,000-meter mountain in winter… there’s no fixed ropes for us, there’s no (supplemental) oxygen for us, there is no support for us. So, it’s like pure human endurance,” Nima said. “It has never been done in the history of mountaineering.” After this, he plans to finally take a break, joking, “I’ll take some rest.”

On October 9, Nima reached the summit of the 8,027-meter Shishapangma with his climbing partner Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, marking the completion of his journey to conquer the famed “eight-thousanders,” the 14 highest peaks above 8,000 meters recognized by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation. Summiting the final peak brought immense joy to Nima, who draws much of his motivation from his family’s legacy in mountaineering. His father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, climbed Everest nine times, setting a record at 19 as the youngest person to summit without bottled oxygen, while his uncle, Mingma Sherpa, became the first South Asian to complete the 14 peaks in 2011. “My uncles and my father, they are way more successful than I would ever be because they came from a very small village. To even dream about being this successful, for them it was really hard,” Nima explained, acknowledging the privileges he has compared to his family’s struggles.

For generations, the Sherpa people have lived and worked in the Himalayas, providing vital expertise as guides and porters for foreign climbers. Yet, despite their essential role, many Sherpas lack the recognition and financial support that their Western counterparts receive. While Nima’s achievements have broken records, his expeditions had no high-profile sponsors and were instead funded by his father’s company, 14 Peaks Expedition. “Everybody talks about Sherpas being superhuman, but how many Sherpas (do) we see being the face of a brand or being a sponsored athlete? None,” Nima pointed out.

Nima hopes that his achievements will inspire other young Sherpas to see themselves as more than support staff, encouraging them to pursue their own potential as professional mountaineers. “Hopefully I become the face of a big brand. And then the younger generation of Sherpas, they don’t see this as like a dead job, you know, like a risky job. They see this as an athletic feat as well,” he said, adding that he wants his success to “open a door” for other Nepali climbers. “Because sometimes in life, you find a moment when you think the community is bigger than you, and that’s what I am aiming for, that’s what I hope for,” he shared.

Nima began his remarkable journey in September 2022 with his first climb of Manaslu at 8,163 meters. In less than two years, he had conquered all of the eight-thousanders, including Everest, the world’s highest mountain at 8,849 meters, and the notoriously treacherous K2 at 8,611 meters. He scaled both Everest and the 8,516-meter Lhotse in a single day, with just a 10-hour gap between summits, and managed to conquer five of the 14 peaks in under five weeks. Reflecting on his Everest experience, Nima shared, “When I climbed Everest it was night, so there was no view from the mountain. Because we had to climb the next mountain, it was so quick. I took some photos… but in my mind, I was thinking of the next mountain that I’m going to climb.” Of all the mountains he scaled, Annapurna was his favorite. Nima described climbing its 8,091-meter peak without bottled oxygen as a particularly proud moment. “For a teenager of 17 years to do something without using oxygen, you know, normally it’s not recommended,” he laughed, recalling the experience. “Annapurna was where I felt really strong… It was really one of the best, my most beautiful mountain for me.”

The summit of Annapurna, however, was not without challenges. The final 200 meters proved arduous, with Nima spending 20 hours without oxygen. “Til then, I was just feeling unstoppable, you know, just walking faster than everybody else,” he said, before adding that the mountains “always find a reason to keep you humble.” Despite the thrill of his accomplishments, Nima remains conscious of the dangers of high-altitude climbing. He and Pasang encountered multiple avalanches on Annapurna, and on the ascent to Shishapangma, dehydration led to painful cramps. An icy slip during his climb of Nanga Parbat, which has no fixed ropes, was another close call. “My first word from my mouth was my climbing partner’s name. I knew he would somehow save me, so I just called him,” Nima recalled. “We were together, connected on the same rope. So, when I fell, he also fell, and he just threw an ice ax, and we just stopped together.”

Time spent above 8,000 meters, or the “death zone,” can be lethal. In these extreme conditions, the body begins to shut down due to oxygen deprivation, which can lead to hypoxia. For Nima, life in the death zone is about pushing through suffering, as he describes it. “Maybe I like suffering,” he joked, attributing his resilience in brutal conditions to his mental fortitude.

Beyond his personal aspirations, Nima is deeply concerned about the environmental challenges facing the Himalayas. Nepal is on the front lines of the climate crisis, with rising temperatures accelerating glacial melt and increasing the risk of floods, affecting millions. The growth in tourism, while beneficial to Nepal’s economy, also brings pollution to the delicate mountain ecosystems. Nima hopes his generation will adopt a more sustainable approach. “You can see a lot of problems… Hopefully, the younger generation, like me and others, we will try to mobilize this industry and make it more sustainable for the upcoming generations,” he said.

He envisions establishing an organization to provide training and resources to help young Nepalis safely enter the climbing and guiding profession. This year, many Nepali climbers have made history in mountaineering: Dawa Yangzum Sherpa became the youngest Nepalese woman to complete all 14 peaks, Mingma G Sherpa summited all 14 without bottled oxygen, and Phunjo Jhangmu Lama scaled Everest in record time. Nima dreams of seeing Nepali climbers achieve the same recognition as their Western peers, noting that the new generation is carving out a legacy in the world of mountaineering. “The generation before us, they are the pioneers, we’re climbing the route that they established,” he remarked, adding, “But I’m just so happy that I’m living in this moment right now, so much is happening in the world of mountaineering. And as a younger generation, we’ll always try to do something better.”

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