Norwegian climber Kristin Harila and her Nepali Sherpa guide Tenjen created a mountaineering history by scaling all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in a record 93 days.

They have become the fastest people in the world to summit all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres.

Kristin and Tenjen stood atop the 8,611-metre Mt K2 in the Karakoram range of Pakistan, the second-highest peak in the world, on Thursday morning, Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Seven Summit Treks, Kristin’s expedition organiser, told the Post.

Kristin and Tenjen reached the summit at 10:45am [Pakistan Standard Time].

K2 was the last among the world’s 14 eight-thousanders on their list.

“They are safe and returning to the base camp,” said Mingma.

They have broken the speed record set by Nirmal Purja.

In 2019, Purja set a world record by completing the ascent of 14 peaks in six months and seven days.

On October 29, 2019, Purja stepped onto the summit of Shishapangma and made history by scaling all 8,000-metre peaks in the shortest span of time—190 days.

Shishapangma, at 8,027 metres, in China was the last among the world’s 14 eight-thousanders on Purja's list. With that ascent, he had snatched the record from South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho.

Kim Chang-ho, the first South Korean to climb all eight-thousanders without using supplemental oxygen, accomplished the feat in 2013, taking seven years, 10 months and six days. He was killed in a snowstorm at the base camp of Mt Gurja in Myagdi district in western Nepal in October 2018.

Purja’s record gave him huge international recognition in a short span of time. In 2021, a documentary film chronicling his expedition aired on Netflix and became a hit.

Mountaineering officials say Purja had climbed the peaks as a Nepali citizen though he had British citizenship.

Purja was found holding on to his Nepali citizenship illegally even after obtaining a British passport, according to Nepali news website Ukeraa.

The news website said Purja obtained a Nepali passport in 2016, despite already being a British citizen.

According to records obtained by Ukeraa, Purja got a British passport on June 28, 2012, which listed his nationality as British. Despite this, he obtained a Nepali passport on March 15, 2016, listing his place of birth as Myagdi and his citizenship number as 1799.

Nepal’s law does not allow dual citizenship, and obtaining a passport using false citizenship is a punishable crime.

If someone is found holding dual citizenship, he or she has to face a maximum of three years imprisonment.

Purja’s Nepali passport, according to an official of the Immigration Department of Nepal, is inactive since 2019, the portal said.

In 2019, Purja ended his feat at Shishapangma while Kristin and Tenjen started their mission from the same mountain this year.

The 37-year-old Kristin’s mission was to reach the summits of 14 peaks in less than six months last year, to break the speed record set by Purja. But she failed because of the unavailability of climbing permits from the Tibetan authority to climb Shishapangma.

Having already climbed 11 of the 14 peaks since April 28, 2022, including Everest, Annapurna and K2, Harila had to climb Shishapangma, Cho Oyu and Manaslu before November 4 last year to make history.

The authority later issued the permits.

“She then decided to restart her climb, beginning from Shishapangma,” said Mingma.

On April 26, Kristin and her guide Tenjen reached the summit of Shishapangma.

They never looked back.

In May they climbed six out of eight 8,000 m peaks in Nepal.

They climbed 8,188 m tall Cho Oyu on May 3, Makalu (8,485 m) on May 13, Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) on May 18, Everest (8,848.86 m) on May 23, Lhotse (8,516 m) on May 23 and Dhaulagiri (8,167 m) on May 29.

They continued their climb in June reaching Annapurna (8,091 m) on June 5 and Manaslu (8,163 m) on June 10.

After completing all 8,000 m peaks in Nepal, Kristin and Tenjen travelled to Pakistan.

They reached the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,125 m) on June 26 and continued Gasherbrum II (8,034 m) on July 15, Gasherbrum I (8,080 m) on July 18, Broad Peak (8,051 m) on July 23 and K2 (8,611 m) on July 27.

Congratulatory messages have started pouring in from all across the world for the summiteers.

“Congratulations, @kristinharila, for the new world record "Fastest to Summit 14*8000m mountain within 92 days"!! I was lucky to know you in person during Mount Manaslu Expedition last year. You have taken the capability of a woman to the next level,” Dr Priti Bhusal, wrote on Twitter.

“In the field of mountaineering, there are only a select few who dare to dream big, push the boundaries, and achieve the extraordinary. Such is the tale of Kristin Harila and Tenjen whose grit, courage, and unwavering determination have etched their names in the history of mountaineering,” the Seven Summit Treks wrote on its website.

Meanwhile, a Nepali photojournalist Purnima Shrestha successfully summited K2 on Thursday. She is also aiming to climb all 8000ers and become the first Nepali female to do so.