Srinagar: Creating a record, Norwegian woman climber and her Nepali Sherpa guide have set the record for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre (26,000-feet) mountains.
Kristin Harila and Tenjin Sherpa — known as Lama — completed the feat in three months and one day after summiting Pakistan’s K2, the last peak on their quest, their team was quoted as saying on Thursday.
The record reflects “their unwavering determination, teamwork, and sheer tenacity throughout this monumental endeavour”, the team statement said.
“Harila and Lama’s collaboration has showcased the essence of mountaineering unity, transcending borders and cultures to achieve greatness together.”
The pair surpassed Nepal-born British adventurer Nirmal Purja’s record of six months and six days, set in 2019.
Purja is currently attempting to set the record for the fastest ascent of all 14 peaks without supplemental oxygen.
In her race to set the record, Harila had to summit 12 of the mountains twice, including K2, after delays in securing visas from China to climb Shishapangma — wholly in Tibet — and Cho Oyu, normally climbed from the Chinese side.
More than 40 people have summited the world’s top 14 peaks, only a few of them women.
Pakistan is home to five of the world’s 14 “super peaks”, and climbing them all is considered the ultimate achievement of any mountaineer.
Besides being far more technically difficult to climb than Everest, K2 has notoriously fickle weather and has only been scaled by 425 people since 1954 — including around 20 women.