Kristin Harila eyes historical 14 peaks record without O2
Norwegian climber Kristin Harila is on her way to Manaslu in a fresh bid to claim the title of 14 peak speed record.
Kristin, who has been chasing Nirmal Purja aka Nimsdai’s record of summiting all 14 eight-thousanders in just six months and six days, had summited 12 of the 14 eight-thousanders in 147 days. She had exactly two weeks left to break Nimsdai’s record to become the fastest 14 peaks climber, which was achievable for her had she received Chinese visa and climbing permits for Shishapangma and Cho Oyu.
This year, Kristin has stepped up her mission one notch further. She aims to scale all 14 peaks in a record time and without using bottled oxygen. Nimsdai used supplemental oxygen to climb all 14 peaks in a record time.
Australian climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is the first woman to summit all 14 peaks without using supplementary oxygen. It took her 13 years to achieve the feat. Gerlinde first summited Cho Oyu in 1998 and K2, her last peak, in 2011.
“It is not impossible really,” says Gelje Sherpa, a famed climber and guide, who is accompanying Kristin to Manaslu. “It is possible, which is why we are trying it.”
As she failed to clock the record last year, Kristin is set to climb all the 14 peaks once again. Manaslu will be her first 8,000er this year. Last year, she had started with Annapurna and Manaslu was her 12th peak.
Her expedition agency, Seven Summit Treks, confirmed Kristin’s bid to break these world records. “Her plan is to climb Nepal’s 8000ers this spring and move to Pakistan to climb the remaining 8000m mountains of Karakoram later in the summer,” Tashi Lakpa Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks told Everest Chronicle.
Experienced climbers say climbing 14 peaks without O2 may be a herculean task. If she succeeds in climbing all mountains without O2 in this time frame, that will be a historical record.
British climber Adriana Brownlee, who wants to become the youngest climber to summit all 14 peaks, is accompanying her to Manaslu. Brownlee, 21, has already climbed 10 of 14 peaks. She has to climb Gasherbrum I and II in Pakistan and Shishapangma and Cho Oyu, both of which are summitted from the Chinese side.
Last year, Adriana and Gelje had decided to postpone their scheduled plan to attempt Pakistani peaks. They plan to summit these peaks this summer, but their Shishapangma and Cho Oyu bid is still up in the air as China has not released any information about the opening of peaks this year.
Although the record chasing climbers are using diplomatic channels to request climbing permit and visa, nothing has been guaranteed yet.
