Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks

KATHMANDU — A Nepali teenager, the youngest person ever to scale all 14 of the world's tallest peaks, says he wants to use his skills to benefit the Himalayan nation's Sherpa community and turn out world-class athletes.

Sherpas, an ethnic group living mainly in the vicinity of the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.

They fix ropes, ladders, carry loads, cook and guide foreign climbers, earning from a single expedition amounts that range from US$2,500 (S$3,290) to US$16,500 or more, depending on experience.

"I want to see Sherpas as global athletes, not just guides," said Nima Rinji Sherpa, 18, who last week climbed Shishapangma, the world's 14th highest peak at 8,027m, in Tibet.

"We deserve the same privilege as Western climbers," added the 12th grader, who began climbing at the age of 16, and scaled all 14 peaks exceeding 2,438m in the last two years.

He said he planned to exploit his climbing skills to build contacts with donor agencies, mobilising funds and support for schools, hospitals and activities to benefit the mountain community.

"I want to be a medium between the community and donor agencies," Nima said on Wednesday, the lower portion of his face still black from burns caused by the sun's reflections off the snow during his climb.

The son of a veteran Everest climber who now runs his own company organising expeditions, Nima bested the record of Mingma Gyalu Sherpa of Nepal, who was 30 when he achieved the feat in 2019.

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His most demanding effort was the 8,034m climb of Pakistan's Gasherbrum II last year directly after having scaled Gasherbrum I, the world's 11th highest peak at 8,080 m, in 25 hours without proper