Vinayak Jaya Malla: A non-Sherpa climber’s rise can be an inspiration for Nepal’s aspiring mountaineers

Mountains have always fascinated Vinayak Jaya Malla. Growing up in Mallaj in Parbat, district of western Nepal, he would often stare at Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest mountain in the world, and wonder what it would be like to stand on top of it. The mountain appealed to him like nothing in the world, but coming from a family that was not into mountaineering, he knew that climbing Dhaulagiri was a farfetched dream.

Fast-forward 30 years, things have changed for Malla. While he is yet to reach the summit of Dhaulagiri, through hard work and determination, he has climbed numerous mountains including Everest, Manaslu and Ama Dablam, and is one of few Nepalis certified as a mountain guide by the IFMGA . Initially, an outsider in Nepal’s mountaineering scene where 99 per cent of Nepal mountain guides are from the Sherpa community, Malla has defied all odds and done something only a few do.