Tejan Gurung, a 29-year-old resident of Purtlibazar Municipality-12 in Syangja, has successfully climbed all 14 of the world’s peaks above 8,000 meters. His achievement culminated on Ashwin 23, when he reached the summit of China’s 8,027-meter-high Shishapangma at approximately 5 AM Nepali time.
With this climb, Gurung has made history as the first individual from Syangja to conquer all eight-thousanders.
Gurung, who spent eight years in the British Army, transitioned to mountaineering after leaving his military career in 2022. His journey in high-altitude climbing began in 2017 with the ascent of the 6,000-meter-high Loguche Peak.
He successfully summited Mount Everest on May 27, 2022, and followed it with Lhotse just a day later. In 2023 alone, he climbed 11 peaks, including Annapurna on April 15, Makalu on May 23, Kanchanjunga on June 1, and Nanga Parbat on July 2, among others. His recent climbs included board peaks and the Dhaulagiri and Cho Oyu mountains.
Gurung expressed that all his climbs were completed through Elite Expeditions. He noted that his desire for mountaineering grew when he had the opportunity to join the Everest base camp while serving in the army.
He credits his brother-in-law, Nirmal Purja, as a source of inspiration in achieving this remarkable milestone. Gurung currently works with Elite Expeditions and has also climbed smaller peaks in Asia and Argentina, such as Elbrus and Aconcagua.
Expressing concern about youth migrating abroad, Gurung emphasized the importance of engaging the younger generation in mountaineering, stating, “We need to focus on how to involve our youth in climbing instead of them going overseas.”
