We use essential cookies and third-party cookies for content.

Pallade Veneta - Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks

Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks

NATURE 14.10.2024
Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks
Nepali teenager hailed as hero after climbing world's 8,000m peaks / Photo: Prakash MATHEMA - AFP

Cheering crowds hailed an 18-year-old Nepali mountaineer as a hero as he returned home Monday after breaking the record for the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks.

Change text size:

Nima Rinji Sherpa reached the summit of Tibet's 8,027-metre-high (26,335 feet) Shisha Pangma 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 waited to see him.

"I am feeling very happy," he told AFP, 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 hugged his family while others rushed to offer him scarves and flowers. He later waved to the crowd out of a car sunroof, while proudly holding the national flag.

Nepal's climbing community also welcomed several others who returned after completing the summit of 14 peaks.

Summiting all 14 "eight-thousanders" is considered the zenith of mountaineering aspirations, with all the peaks located in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, straddling Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet and India.

Climbers cross "death zones" where there is not enough oxygen in the air to sustain human life for long periods.

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

The record was previously held by another Nepali climber, Mingma Gyabu 'David' Sherpa. He achieved it in 2019, at the age of 30.

Nima Rinji Sherpa, who already holds multiple records from his ascents of dozens of peaks, started high-altitude climbing at the age of 16, by climbing Mount Manaslu in August 2022.

Nepali climbers -- usually ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Everest -- are considered the backbone of the climbing industry in the Himalayas.

They carry the majority of equipment and food, fixing ropes and repairing ladders.

Long in the shadows as supporters of foreign climbers, they are slowly being recognised in their own right.

Z.Ottaviano--PV

Featured

US Buildings Threatened by Wildfires Could Triple by 2060

A new study published in Nature Communications projects that the number of buildings across the contiguous United States threatened by wildfires could almost triple by 2060. Researchers attribute this escalating risk to a combination of climate change, forest mismanagement, and continued development in fire-prone areas, warning that socioeconomically vulnerable communities face disproportionate dangers.

Researchers Warn 'Bookkeeping Trick' Masks Beef Industry's Methane Emissions

Two new analyses warn that a specialized accounting method known as GWP* enables major beef-producing countries to significantly understate their methane emissions. Researchers from Greenpeace and the University of California, Los Angeles, argue that this metric creates a misleading picture of climate progress, allowing nations to claim neutrality while actual warming continues.

Climate Change Intensified Atlantic Hurricanes, Study Finds

Human-caused climate change significantly intensified Atlantic hurricanes over the past five years, according to a new analysis by Climate Central. The study found that elevated sea surface temperatures increased maximum wind speeds for most storms between 2019 and 2023, as well as every recorded storm in the 2024 season.

UAE oil spill raises questions for desalination operations

An oil spill off the United Arab Emirates that has prompted temporary restrictions on fishing and on access to several beaches has raised concerns over the risk of environmental contamination and the potential impact on desalination plants. The spill is from a vessel that shipping sources have identified as crude oil tanker Gem No.

Change text size: