Kristin Harila, 37, of Norway, is working to break the 2019 record by climbing 14 peaks in three months. The current record is held by Nurmal Purja, who completed the climbs in a little over six months, and he later made a documentary about it. This is Harila’s second attempt to break the record. Her first attempt was thwarted by the pandemic.
Videos by Outdoors with Bear Grylls
Though she hasn’t completed the 14 peaks yet, she has already broken a record for being the fastest person to summit the 8,000-meter mountains. As a part of Harila’s newest project, “She Moves Mountains,” she has climbed eight peaks in just 40 days, including Cho Oyo back in early May.
Now, Harila is saying that she can complete the challenge of 14 peaks in half of the time she initially thought, as long as she plays her cards right. However, she is working against the weather, as peak climbing season has ended.
Harila began her trip in April at Mount Shishapangma. She completed her most recent peak, Mount Annapurna, on Monday, June 5, 2023. To complete this extreme feat, Harila has had to push herself to her limits. She even climbed Mount Everest in eight hours.
Harila is looking to complete Mount Manaslu in Nepal this week, as well as the final five mountains located in Pakistan, including the second-highest mountain in the world, K2.
Harila had completed 12 of the 14 peaks last year before she was stopped by the Chinese government over COVID-related travel concerns. During her previous attempt, she became the fastest woman to climb Mount Everest and Lhotse. It took her less than 12 hours.
Will Harila complete this incredible quest? Cheer her on in the comments.