Kristin Harila has done it again! The Norwegian mountaineer who set the world speed record for summiting all 14 eight-thousanders in 2023 has now completed the Himalayan Triple Crown — Nuptse, Lhotse, and Everest — in a single season, finishing with an oxygen-free ascent of the world’s highest peak on May 26, 2026. It took Harila 10 days to complete the Triple Crown, and she became the first woman to accomplish the mountaineering feat in a single season.
“EVEREST WITHOUT OXYGEN. TRIPLE CROWN COMPLETED,” Harila wrote in an Instagram post, announcing her completion.
Harila set out to conquer the single-season Triple Crown, starting with Nuptse. She reached Nuptse’s 7,861-meter summit on May 17, before setting her sights on Lhotse (8,516 meters), the world’s fourth-highest peak. She reached Lhotse’s summit on May 21, marking her 30th summit of an 8,000+ peak. Last, but certainly not least, came the 8,848-meter Everest, which she completed on May 26 after reaching the summit at 8:45 p.m. local time.
While Harila was forced to use oxygen on Lhotse due to strong winds, she completed both Nuptse and Everest without.
The 40-year-old Harila is no stranger to 8,000+ peaks. In 2023, Harila summited all 14 8,000+ peaks in 92 days, setting a new speed record. She finished her record-setting 2023 campaign with K2 (8,611 meters), summiting the world’s second-highest peak on July 27.
During her 2023 season, Harila climbed alongside the late Tenjen Lama Sherpa, who passed away on October 7, 2023, in an avalanche while climbing Shishapangma in China. Following his death, Harila established the Lama Sherpa Foundation to “promote safety, fair working conditions, fair pay, and sustainable value creation in the local communities in the Himalayas.”
Following her ascent and descent of Everest, Harila was met with congratulations from people across the world. She even received props from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal.
“We congratulate Kristin Harila and her team for summiting Mt. Everest last week, while also completing the prestigious “Triple Crown” – one of the most demanding challenges in Himalayan climbing,” the Embassy wrote in a Facebook post.
Harila has not announced what her plans are next, but they are sure to include some well-deserved rest.
