Hero’s welcome for record-breaking Nepal teenager after climbing world’s highest peaks

A teenager from Nepal has returned home to a hero’s welcome after becoming the youngest person to climb the world’s 14 highest mountains.

Nima Rinji Sherpa, 18, reached the 8,027m (26,335ft) summit of Mount Shishapangma in China last week.

The achievement completed his mission to climb peaks which are more than 8,000m (26,247ft) high and which started in September 2022.

He comes from a well-known family in the Sherpa mountaineering community and said he hopes his efforts show “the power in our heritage”.

Sherpas are an ethnic group of people who live in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal and Tibet.

The previous record was set by 30-year-old Mingma Gyabu “David” Sherpa in 2019, more than nine years after beginning the challenge, according to Guinness World Records.

Nima’s multiple climbs still need to be verified and confirmed by the global organisation.

After his final climb last Wednesday, Nima Rinji wrote on his Instagram account how his achievement was “a tribute to every Sherpa who has ever dared to dream beyond the traditional boundaries set for them”.

Supporters, including fellow Sherpas and members of the climbing community, greeted Nima Rinji outside Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

Crowds had also gathered to greet the arrival of Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, who has become the first Nepalese woman to scale the 14 highest peaks.

Nima Rinji said: “I am very happy and I want to say thank you so much everyone.

“It was a difficult mission but finally I was able to be successful.”

His father and two uncles run the Seven Summits Treks in Nepal, which has become a leading mountaineering company.

Famous for their skills on the world’s highest peaks, Sherpas were once relegated to support staff.

But several mountaineering records have been achieved by Sherpa climbers.

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Nima Rinji wrote last week how mountaineering is a “testament to our strength, resilience, and passion”.

He said he wanted to show how the younger generation of Sherpas can be “trailblazers” and rise above the stereotype of being only support climbers.

“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,” he said.