Norwegian woman, Nepali sherpa set record

A Norwegian woman and her Nepali guide set the record Thursday for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre (26,000-feet) mountains, their team said in a statement.

Kristin Harila and Tenjin “Lama” Sherpa completed the feat in three months and a day after summiting Pakistan’s K2, the last peak on their quest.

“Kristin said it was a very hard climb because of the amount of snow. She is grateful and extremely happy to share the record with Lama,” Rigmor Berthier, from her press team, told AFP.

The record reflects “their unwavering determination, teamwork, and sheer tenacity throughout this monumental endeavour”, a statement from her team 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.

Both records were achieved with the help of oxygen and helicopters, which has drawn some criticism from the climbing community.

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 — Earth’s second-highest mountain — has notoriously fickle weather and has only been scaled by 425 people since 1954, including around 20 women.

More than 40 people have summited the world’s top 14 peaks, but only a few of them women.