KATHMANDU, AUGUST 27
A Sherpa climber from Rolwaling valley in Dolakha district has just returned from Pakistan after successfully scaling Gasherbrum-I.
Tamting Sherpa, a renowned climber from Rolwaling, scaled the hidden peak GI, being a part of the expedition run by Imagine Nepal Treks. "I stood atop GI on July 26 to complete the last 8000er," Sherpa said.
Mingma G, chairman at Imagine Nepal Treks, said that Tamting has now completed all 14 peaks above 8,000m.
Tamting said he had reached Shishapangma summit (8013m) twice but he is now determined to climb to the main summit so that he can complete all 14 peaks to the main summit.
Tamting started his climbing career as a climbing Sherpa in 1996 from Mt Kusumg Khangru.
In 1997, he was one of the Sherpa climbers on K2 where the first Nepali team made it to the summit of Mt K2. He reached 8100m which was their Camp V on the Japanese route via west ridge which has never been repeated again. However, Tamting's elder brother, Dawa Tashi Sherpa with Gyalbu Sherpa, Mingma Tseri Sherpa and Pemba Dorjee Sherpa (Nawang Thile), all from his home town Rolwaling made it to the summit as first Nepali K2 summiteers. On May 18, 1998, he made his first summit on Everest again with his elder brother Dawa Tashi Sherpa whom he believes is the climbing mentor.
Tamting is an unsung hero and keeps the real mountaineering spirit, according to Mingma G.
He was one of the Sherpas on Manaslu in 2021 when Mingma G's team opened the 'Rolwaling Diversion' route to Manslu's main summit. Tamting also helped Yuichiro Miura to become the oldest person to climb Everest and Xia Boyu to climb Everest without both legs. "Though he finished his 14x8000er this year, he didn't advertise himself as one of the 8000ers but he wanted to finish all the 14 peaks to the main summit," Mingma G shared.
Till date, there are only eight climbers who made it to the main summits of all 14x8000ers though wikipedia shows 50 climbers achieved the feat. Tamting should also be on the list as he climbed to the peak of all 14x8000ers, Mingma G said.
Tamting's climbing record:
• Everest - 11 times (1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019)
• K2 in 2022
• Kanchenjunga in 2022
• Lhotse in 2018, 2019 and 2023
• Makalu in 2022
• Cho-Oyu - Eight times (1999 Spring, 1999-Autumn, 2001, 2002-Spring, 2002-Autumn, 2003, 2004 and 2005)
• Dhaulagiri in 2022
• Manaslu ridge summit in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and main in 2021 and 2022
• Nanga Parbat in 2023
• Annapurna in 2021 and 2023
• Gasherbrum - I in 2023
• Broad Peak in 2018 and 2022
• Gasherbrum - II in 2019
• Shishapangma in 1999 and 2011
A version of this article appears in the print on August 28, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
