KATHMANDU, MAY 13
Norwegian woman climber Kristin Harila has scaled Mt Makalu this morning, completing her third mountain in a bid to scale all 14 peaks above 8,000m in less than six months.
Thaneswar Guragai, general manager of Seven Summit Treks (SST), said that record holding climber Harila along with Lakpa Sherpa from SST stood atop the peak.
She started her project by climbing Mt Shishapangma on April 26. Then she scaled Mt Cho Oyu in Tibet.
Other climbers who scaled the 8,485-metre peak include Chhiring Namgyal Sherpa, Dorchi Sherpa, Angdemba Sherpa, Furtemba Sherpa and Tenjen Sherpa, who are part of the route-fixing team to the summit point.
Harila, who holds multiple fastest climbing records, has already become first woman climber to make the fastest ascent of 14 peaks above 8,000m in one year and five days, SST said.
The 37-year-old climber started her record-setting bid scaling Mt Annapurna I, the 10th highest peak in the world, on April 28, 2022.
Harila scaled Mt Manaslu on September 22, 2022 completing her 12th 8,000er in less than five months. "She will continue with other 11 mountains she had previously climbed last year," Guragai said.
Similarly, six other climbers, including two foreigners, have scaled the world's fifth highest peak this morning, said the organiser. Rishi Bhandari, managing director at Satori Adventure Pvt Ltd, said that two members along with four sherpa climbers from Satori Makalu Expedition stood atop the mountain.
"Grieve Lukle Andrew from Australia and Helander Raul Eerik from Sweden along with Lhakpa Tashi Sherpa, Pemba Tamang, Pemba Chhiri Sherpa and Ngima Nuru Sherpa scaled Makalu after a team of rope-fixing climbers opened the climbing route early this morning," Bhandari added.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 14, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
