Mountain guide Mingma Gyalje Sherpa summited Mount Everest without using supplemental oxygen on Monday while guiding a team of 27 climbers to the summit of the world’s highest mountain.
This was Mingma’s 13th 8,000-meter peak without supplemental oxygen. Now, Shishapangma is the only peak left for him to join the club of 14 peak summiteers, which he hasn’t climbed yet with or without supplemental oxygen, according to Dawa Futi Sherpa, a manager of Imagine Nepal.
Only 44 people in the world have reached the summit of all 14 of the 8,000 m peaks. Five are from Nepal so far – Mingma Sherpa, Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Sanu Sherpa, Nirmal Purja and Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, aka Mingma David. Less than 10 people have submitted all 800er without supplemental oxygen. If Mingma G succeeds in summiting Shishapangma without using supplemental oxygen, he will be the first Nepali to complete all 14 of the 8,000ers without supplemental oxygen.
In January 2021, Mingma G was one of the leaders of the historic Nepal K2 winter expedition mission. A team of 10 Nepali climbers led jointly by Nims Dai and Mingma G had scaled K2, also known as savage mountain, for the first time in winter in mountaineering history. Later in autumn of the same year, Mingma G was successful in reaching the real summit of Manaslu.
Global elite IFMGA guide Mingma G opened the route to Dhaulagiri top and guided a team of 22 climbers in this year’s first ascent in the Himalayas on April 9. Then he led a team of 13 climbers to Kanchenjunga on May 7. He successfully summited Everest in 9 days from his Kanchenjunga summit.
Born in Rolwaling of Dolakha, Mingma G has climbed Everest, K2, Manaslu, Annapurna, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Choyu, Nanga Parbat, G1 and G2. He did his first solo climb on Chobuje peak (west side) and explored a route for Bomongo peak in Dolakha. But it was a descent of Chobuje that nearly claimed his life after he was stuck atop the summit for 41 hours due to bad weather. He was rescued via a chopper.
For his heroic ascent of Chobuje peak and Bomongo peak, Mingma G was nominated for the Ice Axe Award, the highest prize in mountaineering, twice. So far, Mingma G and climbers
Among other climbers in his team on Monday includes popular Nepali singer Raju Lama. Lead singer of the popular pop band Mongolian Heart, Lama has remained a Nepali pop heartthrob for decades.
On May 3, he gave a music concert at an elevation of 6500 meters to raise awareness about rising temperatures and its impacts on mountain tourism.
Pasang Dawa Sherpa and Nima Nuru Sherpa were experienced guides, who have climbed Everest 24 times and 23 times respectively.
Climbing guide Kami Rita Sherpa currently holds the record of highest Everest climb with 26 times. Forty six year old Pasang Dawa plans to climb the peak until 55 years. Nima Nuru, 41, is likely to clinch the record of highest Everest climb if he continues climbing until he turns 55.
Besides, Muhammad Abdul Joshi was among foreign client. Muhammad is the first Pakistani to summit Mount Annapurna. He climbed with another record holder Sirbaz Khan, who summited Kanchenjunga last week. Sirbaz has climbed 10 of 14 peaks above 8,000 meter.
Neurosurgeon Ram Kumar Shrestha also made it to the top of Everest. He is the director of Kathmandu-based Karuna Hospital.
