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This teen became the youngest person to summit the world’s highest peaks. Now he wants others to follow in his footsteps
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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.
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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.” |
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