Guinness Book of Records Cancels Climbing Record

Nimsdai Purja’s world record for the fastest ascent of all the world’s 8,000-metre peaks has been cancelled by the Guinness Book of Records as reported by Fly Flyt, a Norwegian skiing and climbing guide. The editor-in-chief of Guinness, Craig Glenday, confirmed that Purja’s record was rejected because he did not reach the highest point on two of the mountains in his record. While Purja’s time was originally thought to be six months and six days, it was actually over two years. As a result, Kristin Harila, who climbed all 14 mountains in one year and five days, now holds the world record.

Kristin Harila is a Norwegian mountaineer who has achieved the remarkable feat of climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in less than twelve months. She finished her quest with the climb of Cho Oyu on May 3, 2023, becoming the fastest climber and the second person to accomplish this feat after China’s Dong Hong Juan. Harila aims to prove that women have a place in high-altitude mountaineering and gain greater publicity for her cause.

A question I got a lot when coming up to my live sessions last sunday was “how do I train?”. Read more about what I did in Norway to train for these 8000m mountains: https://t.co/wLZmwaxYhj#KristinHarila #Training pic.twitter.com/UGRziLxe1X

— Kristin Harila (@kristin_harila) June 30, 2023

Glenday explained that for a climbing record to be recognised, the climber must travel on foot from base camp to summit and back to base camp, with exceptions made if medical assistance is needed on the way down. Guinness also considers the style of the climb, with a separate record for those who climb all 8,000 metres the fastest without oxygen.

Harila has faced criticism for using Sherpas to lay out the route from the top down, but Glenday argues that this is common on mountains like these and doesn’t change anything in terms of the record. Glenday is deeply impressed by Harila’s achievement and hopes the climbing community recognises it.

Harila is still chasing a faster time and recently asked for financial support to complete the final four peaks, which are K2, Gasherbrum 1 and 2, and Broad Peak. Although Purja’s record has been cancelled, he still holds the world record for the fastest men’s 8,000-metre climb in the world. Guinness will update their records to include Harila’s world record in the autumn but they have updated their website. Click here to see the updated record.