Record-setting teen climber says Sherpas should be leading climbs

Associated Press

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Sherpa teenager who’s won mountaineering celebrity as the youngest person ever to summit the world’s 14 highest peaks called for Sherpas to be recognized as athletes and expedition leaders as well as porters and guides. “It’s always been that Sherpas were supporting climbers and we’re never seen as leaders of expeditions,” Nima Rinji Sherpa told The Associated Press on Friday. The 18-year-old is planning more, tougher climbs after completing a mission to scale all 14 mountains that rise above 8,000 meters earlier this month on China’s Mount Shishapangma.