Islamabad: Kristin Harila, a recent world record holder, has conquered 8,000-meter mountains and is now ready to return to "normal life" after accomplishing her mission of providing women with a rare role model in extreme climbing.
After reaching the summit of the formidable K2 in Pakistan's Himalayas on Thursday, the 37-year-old Norwegian and her Nepali guide Tenjin "Lama" Sherpa set a record for the fastest ascent of all 14 of the world's highest mountains.
Together, they accomplished the feat in three months and one day, beating the previous record of six months and six days set in 2019 by British explorer Nirmal Purja, who was born in Nepal.
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Regarding the male-dominated climbing industry, Harila stated, "I haven't been thinking too much about the record... for me, I wanted to change something."
"History has been dominated by men, if you go back and look at it. And if it's going to change, we need to take action and create some profiles, in my opinion.
The 14 "super peaks" in the world that rise higher than 8,000 metres have been ascended by more than 40 people, only a few of whom were women.
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Harila hopes that her success will assist more women in gaining attention and financial support for mountain challenges. She had a custom-made down suit made because none on the market fit her slender female frame.
After completing a summit every 6.5 days for the previous three months, she was worn out.
It can be extremely difficult. And occasionally I'm just plain exhausted. After taking her first shower in a few weeks, she remarked, "I feel so exhausted, like I'm about to fall asleep.
"You can have some really great days where all you do is enjoy the nice weather and your friends. And occasionally I get really sick, throw up a lot, and have stomach issues.
Since she only began climbing in 2019, Harila's ascent to fame has been quick compared to other climbers of her calibre and characterised by tenacious determination.
Lama, who has been a guide since she was sixteen, was thrilled to hear the news, but Harila was worried that one of them might become ill or hurt before the challenge was complete.
"It wasn't at all planned for us to meet on the first mountain. I had never met him. He only used a few words of English, at most. We had no trouble communicating despite the fact that I only know a few words of Nepali, she said.
"He was just incredible. We protected one another.
She now plans to return to Norway where she will criticise sports organisations for their subpar sponsorship of female athletes.
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Additionally, she'll start running and live more slowly.
"For me, missing holidays and special occasions with my family has been the hardest thing. In addition, my grandma passed away during all of our holidays, so I was unable to attend," she added.
Going home will allow me to live a normal life with my boyfriend, have children, and get married. I've completed my 8,000 metres," she declared.