As summer climbing season is getting heated in Pakistan, Nanga Parbat (8126 m) has seen the season’s first summits today. Summit Karakoram, a Pakistan-based expedition organizer reported at least 7 climbers from Nepal, Norway, and Taiwan scaled the world’s 9th highest mountain this morning local time. Among them Norwegian Kristin Harila and Taiwanese Grace Tseng, who want to climb all 5 eight-thousanders in Pakistan this season have successfully scaled the mountain between 10-11 AM PKT.

Seven eight-thousanders in two months and three days

Harila, a 36-years old former cross-country skier from Norway is climbing together with Nepali climbers Dawa Ongju Sherpa and Pasdawa Sherpa from the very beginning of the project named “14 peaks women too”, where she wants to match or surpass Nirmal Purja’s enviable 2019 record of climbing 14 eight-thousanders in six months and six days. The trio first scaled Annapurna I (8091 m) on 28 April 2022 followed by Dhaulagiri I (8167 m) on 08 May, Kangchenjunga (8586 m) on 14 May, Everest (8848.86 m), and Lhotse (8516 m) on 22 May, and Makalu on 27 May where they set the record of the fastest ascent of six eight-thousanders, a feat they achieved in just 29 days. With the successful ascent of Nanga Parbat today, the trio has scaled 7 eight-thousanders thus far, it took them two months and three days to complete the halfway goal to complete all 14 eight-thousanders. Here in Nanga Parbat, Chhiring Namgel Sherpa also joined forces with them and reached the summit together.

Tseng the first Taiwanese woman on Nanga Parbat

Twenty-nine years old Grace Tseng from Taiwan became the first woman from her country to have reached the summit of 8126 meters mountain above sea level. Tseng who scaled 7 eight-thousanders previously, wants to climb all 14 eight-thousanders within this year. She was accompanied by Nepali climbers Nima Gyalzen Sherpa and Ningma Dorje Tamang. Nima Gyalzen who runs a Nepali expedition organizing company Dolma Outdoor has scaled 10 eight-thousanders thus far including Nanga Parbat today. Nima is aiming to complete all 14 eight-thousanders by the end of this season. 

More summits

Nepali expedition organizer Seven Summit Treks also reported two foreigners, Romanian Adrian Laza and Polish Dorota Lidia Samocko topped out Nanga Parbat on the very first summit day, Laza and Samocko reached the summit accompanied by Nepali climbers Tenjing Sherpa, Chhangba Sherpa and Dawa Nurbu Sherpa while two Nepali climbers Pechhumbe Sherpa and Tenjen Sherpa topped out as rope-fixing team members.