Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi

‘Sherpas are rarely seen as elite athletes’: record-breaking teenager’s fight for equality

Nima Rinji Sherpa arriving in Kathmandu after becoming the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world's highest peaks.
Nima Rinji Sherpa upon his return to Kathmandu after becoming the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world's highest peaks. Photograph: Skanda Gautam/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock

Growing up as a sherpa in Nepal, Nima Rinji Sherpa was used to his relatives performing superhuman feats on the mountains. There was his father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, who at 19 summited Mount Everest without any additional oxygen, becoming the youngest to do so. Then there were his uncles, the first brothers to scale the world’s 14 highest peaks together.

But at 18, he has already outpaced them all. This month, he became the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world’s highest mountains – which are spread across Nepal, Pakistan, China and India – a mission he began aged just 16.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.