Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world’s 8,000-metre peaks

Cheering crowds hailed an 18-year-old Nepali mountaineer as a hero as he returned home on Monday after he broke the record to become the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world’s 8, 000-metre (26, 500-foot) peaks.

Nima Rinji Sherpa reached the summit of Tibet’s 8, 027-metre (26, 335-foot) Shishapangma on October 9, completing his mission to stand on the world’s highest peaks.

On Monday, he returned from China to Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, where scores of people waited to see him.

“I am feeling very happy”, said the young mountaineer, draped in traditional Buddhist scarves and garlands of marigold flowers, as he emerged to loud cheers at the airport.

“Thank you so much, everyone”, he said to his supporters, beaming a wide grin.

Sherpa gave his family a hug and presented him with flowers and scarves in a rush. &nbsp, He later waved to the crowd out of a car sunroof, while proudly holding the national flag.

Nepal’s climbing community welcomed a number of visitors who had already reached the top of 14 peaks.

Summiting all 14 “eight-thousanders” is considered the peak of mountaineering aspirations, with all the peaks located in the Himalayan and neighbouring Karakoram ranges, straddling Nepal, China, Pakistan, Tibet and India.

Climbers cross “death zones” because their oxygen levels are low enough to last a lifetime.

Only about 50 others have succeeded in completing the feat, including Italian climber Reinhold Messner, who did it in 1986.

In the pursuit, numerous renowned climbers pass away.

In the last few years, mountaineers have been expected to reach the “true summit” of every mountain, which many climbers of the previous generation had missed.

Sherpa is no stranger to the mountains, hailing from a family of record-holding climbers, who also now run Nepal’s largest mountaineering expedition company.

Raised in bustling Kathmandu, Sherpa initially preferred to play football or shoot videos.

But two years ago, he put his camera down to pursue mountaineering.

Sherpa, who has already broken numerous records as he has climbed countless peaks, started high-altitude climbing when he was 16 when he climbed Mount Manaslu in August of 2022.

The Himalayan climbing industry’s backbone is thought to be made up of mostly ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Everest.

They fix ropes, fix ladders, and generally transport the majority of the necessary supplies and food.

They have long been seen as foreign climbers’ backers, but they are now becoming more and more well-known.

Sherpa said in a statement shortly after his final summit that “I want to show the younger generation of Sherpas that they can break the mold of being only support climbers and realize their potential as top-tier athletes, adventurers, and creators.”

“We are not just guides. We are trailblazers”.

Sherpa and other climbers have recently broken records, and they are hoping their accomplishments will inspire the next generation of Nepales.

Source: Aljazeera