Singer Raju Lama scales Europe's highest peak in Seven Summits quest
Mount Elbrus ascent marks Lama's third summit in bid to climb the highest mountain on every continent.
PC: Abiral Rai
Popular Nepali singer Raju Lama, frontman of the folk-rock band Mongolian Heart, has climbed Mount Elbrus, Europe's highest peak, marking his third success in the prestigious Seven Summits challenge, expedition organisers said.
Lama reached the 5,642-metre summit of Mount Elbrus in Russia on Sunday with a team of fellow Nepali climbers after a three-day expedition, according to his photographer, Abiral Rai.
The ascent follows Lama's successful climbs of Mount Everest (8,848.86 metres) in Nepal in May 2022 and Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 metres) in Indonesia's Papua province in October 2025.
Abiral, an IFMGA-certified mountain guide, said the expedition also marked a milestone for Nepali mountaineering, with seven Nepali climbers reaching the summit together -- the largest known all-Nepali team to scale Europe's highest mountain.
The climbers travelled nearly 24 hours from Nepal to the mountain village of Azau for acclimatisation. After spending a night at a high-altitude hut, they began their summit push overnight and reached the peak at around 7:00 am local time after a long ascent in freezing conditions, Abiral told Everest Chronicle.
Lama climbed alongside experienced Nepali mountaineers Bikram Karki, Barista Dawa, Bikash Tamang, Nurbu Sherpa and Chatur Tamang, as well as Indian climber Tshering Choden.
The singer drew international attention during his 2022 Everest expedition by performing a solo concert above Camp III at an altitude of 6,574 metres to raise awareness of climate change.
His successful ascent of Carstensz Pyramid, regarded as one of the most technically demanding peaks in the Seven Summits because of its steep limestone cliffs, further advanced his quest to climb the highest mountain on each continent.
With Elbrus complete, Lama has now climbed three of the Seven Summits, reaching the halfway point in one of mountaineering's best-known global challenges.
The expedition was organised by ChaTours Treks and Expeditions, led by veteran Nepali climber Chatur Tamang, who recorded his 194th ascent of Mount Elbrus during the expedition. Organisers said Tamang holds the record for the most ascents of Europe's highest peak and is widely regarded as Nepal's leading specialist on the mountain, with many Nepali climbers relying on his expertise for Elbrus expeditions.
For Abiral, the climb marked his fifth of the Seven Summits, while Bikash Tamang and Barista Dawa each completed their second continental high point after previously summiting Everest.
