According to CNN,
Nima Rinji Sherpa’s ears are still tinged black from wind chill, an occupational hazard of climbing to heights where humans struggle to breathe, and where the weather can turn deadly in an instant.
This month, Nima became the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks, but the 18-year-old Nepalese mountaineer is already getting ready for his next big feat.
Speaking to CNN via video call from the Nepali capital Kathmandu last week, Nima said he’s taking a couple weeks’ rest before preparing to climb the world’s eighth-highest mountain, Manaslu, with Italian mountaineer Simone Moro – in winter, alpine-style.
“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 that, “I’ll take some rest,” Nima laughed.
On October 9, Nima reached the top of the 8,027-meter (26,335-foot) Shishapangma along with his partner Pasang Nurbu Sherpa. For Nima, it was the final of the “eight-thousanders,” the 14 peaks recognized by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation as standing more than 8,000 meters above sea level.
Describing the moment of summiting the final peak as “pure joy,” Nima said his motivation comes from his family, many of whom are renowned mountaineers.
His father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, has climbed Everest nine times, and at age 19 became the youngest person to summit without bottled oxygen. His uncle Mingma Sherpa became the first South Asian climber to summit 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 said. “I have the privilege that they didn’t have.”
Not just support staff
Nepal’s ethnic Sherpas have lived in the high altitudes of the Himalayas for generations and have long served as guides and porters, whose local expertise has been invaluable for foreigners attempting climbs in the area.
Their name has become synonymous with mountaineering. Sherpas are more often than not the backbone of international mountaineering expeditions, hauling heavy gear and supplies up mountains and guiding people to high-altitude summits in dangerous conditions.
But they often don’t receive the same recognition or financial rewards as their Western counterparts.
Despite his record-breaking achievement, Nima’s climbs did not attract big-name sponsors, and he relied on his father’s 14 Peaks Expedition company for funds and logistical support.
“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 said.
Nima said he hopes he can inspire other young Sherpa climbers to realize their potential as athletes and professional mountaineers, and to not be seen solely as support staff.
“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 hopes to use his recent achievement 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 said.
