The Sherpas are the backbone of commercial eight-thousander mountaineering. Without the support of experienced climbing Sherpas, hardly any client would reach the summit of any of the 14 eight-thousanders. When one of these loyal helpers from Nepal completes his collection of eight-thousanders, it usually happens en passant -simply by doing his job.
In the future, Lakpa Temba Sherpa will also be included in the list of people who have reached the 14 highest summits in the world. The 41-year-old mountaineer from Nepal was part of a nine-member team that reached the summit of Gasherbrum II at 8,034 meters today.
More than 30 ascents of eight-Thousanders
Lakpa Temba, who hails from the region around the eight-thousander Makalu, has been working for the tour operators Seven Summit Treks and 14 Peaks Expedition for many years. According to the Sherpa himself, the success on Gasherbrum II marked his 32nd ascent of an eight-thousander within 13 years.
According to a list Lakpa Temba posted on Instagram in 2022, he stood on an eight-thousander for the first time in the spring of 2013: on the summit of Mount Everest. Four more ascents of the highest of all mountains followed to date.
With Alvarez, Harila, Lavaud …
His vast experience is in high demand. Among the clients he has guided to the summits of eight-thousanders is Viridiana Alvarez, who scaled the 14 highest mountains in the world between 2017 and 2023. In 2023, Lakpa Temba guided the Mexican woman to the summits of Nanga Parbat and Broad Peak, among others. In total, the two climbed seven mountains together.
Successful eight-thousander collectors Kristin Harila from Norway and Sophie Lavaud from Switzerland have also climbed with Lakpa Temba.
Lakpa Temba is also regularly hired by teams to fix the ropes to the highest point on eight-thousanders. The Sherpa has also participated in several rescue and recovery operations on the world’s highest mountains.
Summit attempts on K2 as well
After a recent spell of rather challenging weather, a window of several days with relatively little wind and hardly any precipitation has opened up in the Karakoram. Summit attempts are also underway on the eight-thousanders Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, and K2, the second-highest mountain on earth.