KATHMANDU: Lakpa Sherpa, widely known as Makalu Lakpa, reached the summit of Annapurna I (8,091m) on April 18 as part of a 14 Peaks Expeditions team, bringing his tally to eight of the world's 14 eight-thousanders and setting the stage for an ambitious three-peak spring campaign.

With Annapurna now behind him, Lakpa has turned his focus to Mount Everest and Makalu, which he aims to complete within the same spring season — a target that would see him stand on three eight-thousanders in a matter of weeks.

His eight-thousander record reads as follows: Makalu eight times, Manaslu four times, Lhotse three times, Cho Oyu twice, and Everest, Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga and now Annapurna once each. Having completed all of Nepal's 8,000-metre peaks, only peaks in China and Pakistan remain between him and the full set of 14.

Lakpa, who grew up in Walung village in Sankhuwasabha in the shadow of Makalu, entered mountaineering as a teenage porter before working his way up from kitchen boy to climbing Sherpa to expedition leader with Seven Summit Treks. His connection to Makalu — the world's fifth-highest peak at 8,485 metres — is unlike any other: he has summited it eight times, more than anyone else in history, and has led rope-fixing operations on the mountain every season.

It was on Makalu that he made history in spring 2022, summiting three times in 16 days to earn a Guinness World Record — one of those ascents completed without supplemental oxygen. The record came despite a harrowing season that included a 300-metre fall on his first attempt and a turnaround just 50 metres below the summit on his second due to high winds.

Beyond the eight-thousanders, Lakpa has also summited Ama Dablam seven times and a range of other peaks including Putha Hiunchuli and Himlung Himal. He has completed more than 22 expeditions above 8,000 metres and over 10 on peaks between 6,000 and 7,000 metres.