Nepal man shatters record for scaling world’s highest peaks

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Nepalese national shattered the previous mountaineering record for successfully climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks, completing the feat in 189 days.

Nirmal Purja scaled the 8,027-meter (26,340-foot) Mount Shishapangma in China on Tuesday, which was the last of the 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 meters (26,240 feet) in height.

The previous record for climbing the 14 peaks was seven years, 10 months and six days. It was set by South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho.

Mingma Sherpa of the Seven Summit Treks in Kathmandu, which equipped the expedition, said Purja was in good health and safely descending from the summit.

A former soldier in the British army, Purja began his mission on April 23 with a climb of Mount Annpurna in Nepal.

In Nepal, he climbed Mount Annapurna on April 23, Mount Dhaulagiri on May 12, Mount Kanchenjunga on May 15, Mount Everest on May 22, Mount Lhotse on May 22, Mount Makalu on May 24 and Mount Manaslu on September 27.

In Pakistan, he climbed Mount Nanga Parbat on July 3, Mount Gasherbrum 1 on July 15, Mount Gasherbrum 2 on July 18, Mount K2 on July 24 and Mount Broad Peak on July 26.

In China, he scaled Mount Cho You on September 23 and Mount Shishapangma on Oct. 29.

He struggled to get permission from the Chinese government for his last climb and was allowed only after getting help from the Nepalese government.

Purja’s photo of a long line of climbers just below the Mount Everest summit was widely circulated on social media in May. It raised concerns about overcrowding and the safety of climbers spending so much time on the highest point of the earth for hours stuck on a traffic jam.