Key Takeaways:

• Phur Galjen Sherpa summited Gasherbrum I (8,080m) on Aug 1
• He completed all 14 eight-thousanders, joining an elite global club
• Record includes 20 Everest summits and rare climbs like Nanga Parbat in autumn
• Also summited Yalung Kang (8,505m) in 2004, bringing his tally to 15 peaks

KATHMANDU, AUGUST 3 Phur Galjen Sherpa has officially joined the elite club of climbers who have summited all 14 eight-thousanders, completing his quest with a successful ascent of Gasherbrum I (8,080m) in Pakistan on August 1. Remarkably, the summit came just eleven days after he climbed Gasherbrum II on July 21, confirmed Mingma G, Managing Director of Imagine Nepal Treks. Phur Galjen Sherpa, a native of Thame village in Solukhumbu, began his climbing career as a local Sherpa in 1997 and achieved his first Everest summit in 1999. Over the years, he has built an extraordinary record, summiting all 14 of the world's eight-thousanders: Everest 20 times; K2 twice; Kanchenjunga once (2018); Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Annapurna, and Makalu twice each; Manaslu and Broad Peak three times each; and single ascents of Shishapangma, Dhaulagiri, and Nanga Parbat - the latter including the first autumn ascent of the peak in 2017. Most recently, he added Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II to his tally. Beyond the 14 official 8,000-meter peaks, Imagine Nepal noted that Phur Galjen also summited Yalung Kang (8,505m) in 2004, a feat achieved by only five Nepali climbers - bringing his total to 15 distinct 8,000-meter-plus summits. The Gasherbrum expedition also produced another milestone, with Singaporean climber Sim Phei Sunn becoming the first person from Singapore to summit both Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum I. She climbed the two peaks with the same expedition team on July 21 and August 1, respectively. The team also included Ukrainian climber Valentyn Sypavin, while Nepali climbers Aangdu Sherpa and Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa successfully completed the ascent of Gasherbrum I.