Norwegian climber Kristin Harila created a mountaineering history by scaling all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in a year, the fastest climb on record by a woman.

On Wednesday morning, she stood atop Mt Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth-highest peak at 8,188 metres, the last remaining mountain.

Thaneshwor Guragain, manager at Seven Summit Treks, Kristin's expedition outfitter, said she reached the summit at 11:35 am.

“Kristin is now the fastest woman to successfully climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres,” he said.

The fastest record in the women's category is currently held by Spanish climber Edurne Pasaban Lizarribar who took eight years and three months to accomplish the feat.

According to 8000ers.com, which keeps records of summits and related statistics, of the 56 climbers who claimed to have summited them all, six are women.

Lizarribar, in May 2010, became the first woman to climb all of the 14 eight-thousander peaks.

South Korean climber Oh Eun-sun claimed to complete all 14 eight-thousanders in April 2010 to become the first woman to achieve this feat.

However, her claim to have ascended Kanchenjunga was disputed and the Korean Alpine Federation ruled that she had not summitted.

Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner became the second woman. She completed the climbs of the 14 peaks in August 2011.

Italian mountaineer Nives Meroi achieved the feat in May 2017.

Chinese climber Dong Hong-Juan made the accomplishment on April 26, 2023.

Guragain said that Kristin was accompanied by two Sherpas—Ngima Rita and Tenjen Sherpa (Lama)—during her ascent of Mt Cho Oyu.

The mountain belongs to Nepal but it is climbed through Tibet due to the lack of routes from the Nepali side.

Kristin’s mission was to reach the summits of 14 peaks in less than six months, breaking the record of Nirmal Purja. But she failed because of the unavailability of climbing permits from the Tibetan authority, according to mountaineering officials.

In 2019, Purja set a world record by completing the ascend of 14 peaks in just 6 months and 7 days. The previous record was seven years.