“The mountain didn’t move. Our knowledge did.”
I am honoured to announce that Guinness World Records has officially recognised me for the most true-summit ascents of the 14 mountains over 8,000m – 49 ascents.
Let me be clear about the numbers:
49 = True summits. The highest geographical points. Verified. No debate.
52 = My total 8,000m ascents, including foresummits climbed earlier in my career – just like many other climbers who, at the time, genuinely believed they stood on top.
Yes, the Department of Tourism, Nepal Government, issued certificates for those ascents. They issued them to me, and they issued them to everyone else. That is their longstanding policy – summit certificates based on good-faith claims and available information at the time.
Back then, there was a "tolerance zone" – an unspoken understanding that a few meters below the true top still counted as a summit given the technology and knowledge of the era. To me If a climber can climb over 8,000 meters, given the correct knowledge, the majority would absolutely climb that extra 2 or 3 meters to stand on the true summit.
Now let's talk facts –
· Manaslu: True summit is 2 meters higher than the old fourth summit (foresummit).
· Dhaulagiri I: True summit is 3 meters higher than the old foresummit.
Small numbers. Big debate.
In 2019 during Project Possible, I summited what was then accepted as the top of Manaslu and Dhaulagiri. When the research community proved with drone imagery ( which is the copy right of @eliteexped ) and satellite data that true summits existed beyond those points, My brother @mingna g famously led this project which I was part of it too
Does that erase the 52? No. Those ascents happened. The certificates were issued by The Department of Tourism, Nepal honored them as they honor every climber's claim in good faith as the "knowledge of the time “
But the record books now speak a different language. The language of precision. The language of truth.
The debate is largely settled in factual terms—the higher point exists. However, the historical debate will indeed continue forever, as it involves respecting the integrity of past climbers who climbed in good faith versus enforcing strict technical standards for modern record-seekers. It is a clash of eras, not just of meters. For eg : Annapurna was once thought to be the world's highest mountain until Everest was accurately measured in the 1850s."
To every climber who climbed in good faith before the true summits were known – your achievements are still valid history.
To those who knew, and still chose the foresummit – the mountains remember.
To the next generation – climb the truth. Always.
49 true summits. 52 total ascents. 1 standard: the highest point.
Happy New Year from Nepal.
Nimsdai Purja
