KATHMANDU: Record-breaking Nepali mountaineer Nima Rinji Sherpa, the young prodigy from Nepal's Makalu region, has been awarded seven Guinness World Records,  further cementing his place in mountaineering history as one of the most accomplished young climbers of his generation.

Born on 18 April 2006, the 18-year-old has, in a little over two years, rewritten what the world thought possible in high-altitude mountaineering. His seven officially certified records span feats ranging from conquering the world's most treacherous peaks at unprecedented ages to becoming the youngest person in history to summit all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres.

The seven records

The crowning record among the seven is perhaps the most awe-inspiring: Nima Rinji is officially the youngest person ever to climb all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres, a feat he completed at just 18 years and 174 days when he stood atop Shishapangma in Tibet on 9 October 2024, alongside climbing partner Pasang Nurbu Sherpa. 

The remaining six records capture the milestones that built toward that historic summit. Guinness World Records has certified him as the youngest person to climb K2, the world's second-highest and arguably most dangerous peak, which he reached at 17 years and 100 days on 27 July 2023. That same record-setting K2 climb also earned him the title of youngest person to complete the "Pakistan Five" — the collective of Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, Broad Peak, and K2 — all achieved by the age of 17 years and 100 days.

He also holds the record for the youngest person to climb the top two highest mountains above 8,000 metres, having summited Everest on 24 May 2023 and K2 on 27 July 2023, completing the pair at 17 years and 192 days. 

Building on that, he is the youngest to climb the top three highest — adding Kangchenjunga to Everest and K2, a trio completed at 18 years and 51 days on 8 June 2024. 

He similarly holds the record for the youngest to summit the top five highest mountains above 8,000 metres, completing that milestone on the same Kangchenjunga ascent having previously also climbed Lhotse and Makalu. 

And separately, he is certified as the youngest ever to summit Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, standing at 8,586 metres, at just 18 years and 51 days.

A journey from football fields to the death zone

What makes Nima Rinji's story all the more compelling is that mountaineering was never his first love. Raised in Kathmandu, the teenager initially preferred football and was drawn more to photography and filmmaking than to the high-altitude expeditions his family led. His father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, is CEO of 14 Peaks Expedition, and his uncle Mingma Gyabu 'David' Sherpa previously held the record of youngest person to climb all 14 peaks, achieving it in 2019 at age 30 — a record his nephew has now shattered by over a decade.

Just two years before completing all 14 peaks, Nima Rinji picked up his crampons. In August 2022, he became the first teenager to summit Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world. What followed was a relentless, season-by-season march through the world's most dangerous terrain.

Representing Nepal on the world stage

His achievements have not gone unnoticed internationally. He was recently featured on CBS's acclaimed programme 60 Minutes, where he spoke candidly about the risks and psychology of extreme climbing. "You have to be more careful when you're in the mountains because every time you go, you feel like nothing is going to happen to you," he told the programme, reflecting on how witnessing accidents at altitude changes a climber's perspective.

For Nepal's tourism and mountaineering sector, Nima Rinji's global visibility is invaluable. His story represents a generational shift — one where young Nepali climbers are stepping out of the shadows of their foreign clients and being recognised as the extraordinary athletes they are. "He will inspire newcomers," his father has said.

With his eyes now set on studying environmental science and advocating for sustainable mountaineering, Nima Rinji Sherpa is proving that his ambitions extend well beyond the summit. Sherpa along with Purnima Shrestha has been appointed as UNDP Nepal's first climate influencers to raise awareness about climate justice in Nepal. 

Nepal, the birthplace of the world's highest mountains, has found in him its newest and youngest legend.