Minima David Sherpa has broken a World Record and become the first person to successfully summit K2 five times!
Global (04 August 2022) – Minima David, a Sherpa who has helped many climbers reach the top of many mountains around the world, has just broken the record for the most amount of K2 summits, becoming the first person ever to reach the top of the world’s second highest peak five times!
Only 379 climbers have ever managed to reach the top of this mountain! In comparison, over 9,000 mountaineers have reached the top of Mount Everest, and although the K2 is 240m lower than Mount Everest, it is extensively more challenging to climb, remote, and infamous for violent weather.
From his earliest work as a porter to his achievements as a record-breaking mountaineer in his own right, Mingma David Sherpa’s career has been built on his quiet, steely determination and an unparalleled ability for meticulous planning. Combined, these character traits have helped him become one of the outstanding climbing talents of his generation.
In January 2021, David became one of the first people ever to reach the top of K2 in winter, alongside his Elite Exped co-founder Nimsdai. Known as the Savage Mountain, the world’s second-highest peak is widely regarded as its most dangerous, and climbing it in winter was a feat that had previously eluded even the most talented mountaineers, despite 30 years of attempts.
The mountaineer’s incredible feat was not just a personal triumph but also the first time an all-Nepalese team had ever achieved such a first on an 8,000m peak. Yet this is far from David’s only record. As a key part of the team behind Project Possible, the Sherpa helped Nims achieve his seemingly-unbelievable goal of climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000m peaks in the space of just six months – shattering the previous record by more than seven years.
As well as providing essential support, David stood shoulder to shoulder with his partner on eight of the 14 summits, setting his own world record in the process: he was just 30 years old when they reached the final peak, Shishapangma, making him the youngest person ever to have climbed all 14 of the world’s 8,000m peaks. His feats won him the title of “Sherpa of the Year” in 2019 and the coveted Piolet d’Or Asia award – equivalent to a mountaineering Oscar.
And now, this incredible climber has become the first person ever to reach the top of the world’s second highest peak five times; this just days after Warren Eva and John Black also made history by becoming the first South Africans to summit K2.
David says that he always feels privileged to work as a guide to give a hundred percent from a base to summit and make it safely back home with numerous great memories for a lifetime and wants to remind the world that records are there to be broken… so get climbing to break this one!
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