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Nepali climber completes summit of 14 mountain peaks known as the eight-thousanders, twice

Less than 50 people worldwide have managed the summit the peaks, but Sanu Sherpa has done it twice
Nepal Sherpa Record
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Nepali climber and guide Sanu Sherpa has managed to not only summit some of the world's tallest mountains, a feat completed by less than 50 people on Earth: He's done it twice.

Sherpa is the first to do so, and others have quite a long way to go now to beat his record.

"I was just doing my job," 41-year-old Sherpa said.

"What I have done is not something that is impossible," he said.

He began his career as a porter and kitchen aid, moving on to become a guide in mountaineering. He summited his first 8,000-meter (26,362 feet) peak in 2006.

The 14 peaks known as the eight-thousanders are a group of mountains that reach 8,000 meters, or 26,000 feet.

Nepali guides, AFP reported, are usually ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Mount Everest. They usually carry most of the climber's equipment and food and help them with ropes and ladders on the journey.

Altitudes above 8,000 meters are called the "death zone," as the lack of oxygen cannot sustain human life for prolonged periods. About 14 people, on average, die each year on the eight eight-thousander peaks in Nepal alone.