Tejan Gurung (नेपाली: तेजन गुरुङ, born 1995) is a Nepali mountaineer known for his involvement in high-altitude climbing expeditions in the Himalayas. He has participated in multiple international expeditions, working with climbers and expedition teams from different countries. From 2022 to 2024, Gurung has climbed all the 14 eight-thousanders, being mountains above , and was the youngest British person to do so.
Early life Born in Pokhara, Nepal, Tejan Gurung moved to the United Kingdom with his family in 2005 following his father’s retirement from the Brigade of Gurkhas. In 2014, at the age of 19, he joined the British Army and served with the Royal Engineers. After completing the All-Arms Commando Course, he was assigned to the 24 Commando Regiment, part of 3 Commando Brigade. Gurung served for six years, during which he developed skills and experience that later influenced his mountaineering career.
Climbing career Tejan Gurung began his mountaineering career in 2017 with the ascent of Lobuche Peak (6,119 m). He climbed Mount Everest on 27 May 2022 and summited Mount Lhotse the following day, marking his first ascents of 8,000-metre peaks. After leaving the British Army in 2022, he focused full-time on high-altitude mountaineering. In 2023, Gurung completed ascents of eleven 8,000-metre mountains within a single year. These included Annapurna (15 April), Makalu (23 May), Kangchenjunga (1 June), Nanga Parbat (2 July), Gasherbrum II (17 July), Gasherbrum I (21 July), Broad Peak (25 July), K2 (28 July), Manaslu (17 September), Dhaulagiri (29 September), and Cho Oyu (2 October).
On 9 October 2024, Gurung summited Shishapangma (8,027 m) in China, completing the ascent of all fourteen mountains above 8,000 metres. In addition to his Himalayan climbs, Gurung has also ascended mountains outside Nepal, including Mount Elbrus in Russia and Aconcagua in Argentina.
Eight-thousanders
+ List of 8,000-meter summits by Tejan Gurung Summit Order Peak's Rank Mountain Height (m) Summit Date O2 = Oxygen use 1 1 Everest 8,848.86 27 May 2022 O2 2 4 Lhotse 8,516 28 May 2022 O2 3 10 Annapurna I 8,091 15 April 2023 O2 4 5Makalu 8,485 23 May 2023 O2 5 3 Kangchenjunga 8,586 1 June 2023 O2 6 9 Nanga Parbat 8,125 2 July 2023 O2 7 13 Gasherbrum II 8,034 17 July 2023 O2 8 11 Gasherbrum I 8,080 21 July 2023 O2 9 12 Broad Peak 8,051 25 July 2023 O2 10 2 K2 8,611 28 July 2023 O2 11 8 Manaslu 8,163 17 Sep 2023 O2 12 7 Dhaulagiri 8,167 29 Sep 2023 O2 13 6 Cho Oyu 8,188 2 Oct 2023 O2 14 14 Shishapangma 8,027 9 Oct 2024 O2
The total time he took to climb the 14 eight-thousanders was 2 years, 4 months, and 13 days.
During the 2023 climbing season on Shishapangma, multiple avalanches on the upper slopes resulted in the deaths of four climbers, including American mountaineer Anna Gutu. Tejan Gurung was present on the mountain at the time and later returned to complete his own summit on 9 October 2024, finishing his 14-peaks project.
See also
Nima Rinji Sherpa Adriana Brownlee Nirmal Purja Eight-thousander
References