– The best thing about coming home is meeting my aunts. They grow so fast and so much happens, says Kristin Harila. It is just over a week since she stood on top of Gasherbrum I in Pakistan, 8,035 meters above sea level. Now she is at home on the farm in Kariel outside Vadsø, to visit her family and get ready for the last three highest peaks in the world. Kristin Harila is at home gathering strength and eating before the last peaks on the list are to be climbed. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news Kristin Harila has a goal to climb all the world’s mountains over 8,000 meters as quickly as possible, preferably faster than six months and six days. It’s time for the world record holder, the Nepalese climber Nirmal Purja. So far, China has refused to grant Harila a visa and climbing permit to the Manaslu, Shishapangma and Cho Oyu peaks located in China and Tibet. But Kristin Harila doesn’t let herself be stopped. – I have faith, but it won’t work itself out. We have to work really hard to get it in place, and certainly get help from the Norwegian and Nepali authorities. It would be a crisis not to complete the project. Plan of Harila PHASE 1: NEPAL Annapurna I, 8091 m, climbed on 28 April. Dhaulagiri, 8167 m., climbed on 8 May. Kanchenjunga, 8586 m., climbed on 15 May. Mount Everest, 8849 m, climbed on 22 May. Lhotse, 8516 m, climbed on 22 May. Makalu, 8463 m, climbed on 27 May. PHASE 2: PAKISTAN Nanga Parbat, 8126 m., climbed on 1 July. K2, 8611 m., climbed on 22 July. Broad Peak, 8051 m, climbed on 28 July. Gasherbrum II, 8080 m, climbed on 8 August. Gasherbrum I, 8035 m, climbed on 11 August. PHASE 3: TIBET/NEPAL Manaslu, 8156 m., planned for September. Shishapangma, 8013 m., scheduled for October. Cho Oyu, 8201 m., scheduled for October. Kristin Harila reached the summit of Gasherbrum-I on 11 August. She had then climbed 11 peaks over 8,000 meters in 105 days, and is the first female climber to have done it. Photo: The expedition Feels good despite stomach problems The contrasts are great for the mountaineer from Eastern Finnmark, who has climbed 11 of the world’s highest peaks in record time. The height difference from the highest mountains to the farm in Kariel, which is located by the Varangerfjord, is enormous. For Harila, that has not presented any problems. Worse is the stomach, which has not been entirely cooperative since she came home. – Apart from the fact that I vomit after long periods of muddy water and biscuits, I feel fine physically. My body is getting used to this here. But I’ve lost a lot of kilos, and need some “power” again. But Kristin Harila says that carrying out the expedition is very demanding both physically and mentally. – You have to be mentally prepared to be very uncomfortable, for a very long time. There will be little sleep and little food. One urinates in a bottle. If you have to go to the bathroom when you climb up, you just have to pull down your suit where you are. Spending time with sister Hanne and her aunt’s children is important to Kristin Harila. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news Hereditary burden Despite physical and mental hard work for many months, Kristin Harila does not allow herself to be stressed by an active nephew who will show his aunt all his secrets on the family farm. Sister Hanne Harila believes that Kristin’s achievements are about great mental strength and action. – It is of course about being in good shape, but then we are also brought up to be able to fend for yourself. You have to be a little bit yourself and stubborn to manage this, and to stand up to the pressure and expectations to do this or that, says Hanne Harila. John Petter Harila, father of Kristin Harila, says he understands his daughter’s desire to complete the world record attempt. Nevertheless, he believes it will do for now. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news John Petter Harila, Kristin’s father, is himself a tough athlete who puts many miles on his bike and skis every year. The 90 kilometer long ski race from Tana to Vadsø is an annual challenge. He understands that it is important for his daughter to prove that she can carry out the project, but still believes that what her daughter has managed so far is good enough. – She has maintained a level that perhaps no one else can. No one has come close to her use of time, but one for my part will do for now, says John Petter Harila. Kristin Harila is a farm girl, and travels home to the family farm outside Vadsø, in Eastern Finnmark, as often as she can. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news Want to show that women can The climbing project and what Kristin Harila and her team have carried out so far impresses the whole world. Interest in high mountain peaks only awoke in adulthood, after Kristin Harila moved to Tromsø. And in just a few years, she has become one of the world’s toughest and fastest mountain climbers. Harila says that a major motivation for the project is to highlight the important work of the Sherpa community in Nepal. In addition, she wants to shine a spotlight on the discrimination she experiences in the international climbing environment, from equipment manufacturers, sponsors and expedition companies. – The best way is to take the world record, and at the same time challenge the industry to become more equal. Kristin Harila has had the Sherpas Dawa Ongju Sherpa and Pasdawa Sherpa with her all along the way. For her, it is important to highlight the efforts they make to make the expedition a success. Photo: The expedition Has no plans to turn around Despite family advice to give up, and the lack of a visa, Kristin Harila has no intention of giving up until she has climbed the 14 highest peaks in the world. After that, she will write both a book and make a film about the expedition. – There will be a lot of work with the book and film eventually. I hope it will cover the large expenses I have with this expedition. – After that, I will probably find new goals that I feel are challenging enough, says a purposeful Kristin Harila. Vadsøværing Kristin Harila displays the Norwegian and Sami flags on top of Mount Everest. Photo: Private
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Kristin Harila from Vadsø does not give up world record attempt despite visa refusal – news Troms and Finnmark
