Norwegian, Nepali climbers set world record by scaling all 8000m peaks in 92 days

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – A Norwegian woman and her Nepali Sherpa guide climbed K2, the world's second tallest mountain, in Pakistan on Thursday, becoming the world's fastest climber to summit all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) in just 92 days.

This was their 14th highest peak in just over three months, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the country's official mountaineering organization.

Kristin Harila, 37, and Tenjen (Lama) Sherpa, 35, ascended 8,611 meters (28,251 feet K2 located in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, which is home to world's five peaks above 8,000m, with a group of local and foreign mountaineers, Secretary General of the Alpine Club of Pakistan KarrarHaidri told Anadolu over the phone.

Other climbers included Pakistan's Shahbaz Khan, the younger brother of renowned mountaineer Sirbaz Khan.

Harila and Tenjen set the fastest climbing record by beating Nirmal Purja of Nepal, who completed all peaks in six months and one week in 2019.

However, the Guinness Book of World Records has yet to confirm their latest achievement.

Both climbers topped Shishapangma in Tibet region of China on April 26 and have since scaled Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Annapurna in Nepal before proceeding to Pakistan, where they climbed Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and the Broad Peak before topping K2, completing all 14 in 92 days.

- Youngest climber to scale K2

Nima Rinji Sherpa of Nepal became the youngest climber at the age of 17 years and 99 days to reach the top of K2 on Thursday, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said in a statement.

He reached the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters) earlier in June 2023 at the age of 17 years and 68 days, making history as the youngest climber to ever do so. This occurred on June 26, 2023, at (0415GMT).

Earlier in the previous spring season, Nima also broke the world record on Mount Everest and Lhotse at the youngest age by climbing double headers (8,000ers) at 17 years 35 days on 24 May within 10 hours.

After climbing Mount Manaslu's actual summit in 2022, Nima from the Seven Summit Treks and 14 Peaks Expedition made history. He was the youngest person ever to do so, the statement added.