Above the clouds: Nepalese climber conquers 14 of the world’s highest mountains in six months

Few climbers have managed to conquer all eight-thousanders – the 14 highest peaks in the world. Only 40 lucky climbers have been able to visit all the highest points of the globe. Among the heroes is Nepalese Nirmal Purja, a former British infantryman and rescue climber. On October 29, Purja, better known as Nims, conquered the last peak on the list, Mount Shisha Pangma in China, completing the “14 Mountains in 7 Months” challenge and setting a new world record. We tell you why Purge’s achievement is unique, what other records the climber has set and how he managed to achieve it.

Who was the first to conquer all eight-thousanders?

To conquer 14 of the world’s highest peaks is a remarkable achievement in itself. Since 1970, only 40 people have been able to climb each of them, and most of them took much longer than Nirmal Purja.

The first to venture on such a questionable safety adventure was Reinhold Messner – one of the most famous climbers in world history, traveler, writer, and now a member of the European Parliament.

Messner not only climbed all eight-thousanders for the first time, but also opened new routes for some of these mountains: he climbed Nangaparbat, Manaslu, Gasherbrum I (G1), Kanchenjunga, Cho Oyu and Annapurna using previously unexplored trails. Messner started climbing the 14 peaks in 1970 at the age of 42 and finished in 1986.

Before Nims, the record for the fastest conquest of all eight-thousanders had long belonged to Jerzy Kukucka, a mountaineer from Poland. He managed to climb all 14 peaks in 7 years, 11 months and 14 days. For nine of them Kukucka made new routes. Only in 2013, Kukucka was surpassed by South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho: he conquered the eight-thousanders a month and eight days faster.

14 summits in six months and six world records to boot

When Nirmal Purja decided to conquer the highest mountains on Earth, he set himself a specific goal – to climb 14 peaks in no more than seven months. To realize his goal, the mountaineer launched Project Possible 14/7 and organized a fundraiser. A significant part of the required amount was paid out of his own pocket. He even had to mortgage his house to raise the money. At the end of January 2019, with nine weeks to go until the first ascent, the funds raised exceeded the £115,000 mark – just under 9.5 million rubles.

Because the eight-thousanders are scattered around the world, Nims had to split the expedition into three phases. The first phase included only the peaks of Nepal:

• Annapurna – April 23;
• Dhaulagiri – May 12;
• Kanchenjunga – May 15;
• Everest – May 22;
• Lhotse – May 22;
• Makalu – May 24.

In the second, Pakistan’s mountains:

• Nangaparbat – July 3;
• Gasherbrum I (G1) – July 15;
• Gasherbrum II (G2) – July 18;
• Chogori (K2) – July 24;
• Broad Peak – July 26.

The final phase included two eight-thousand meter peaks of China and one of Nepal:

• Cho Oyu (China) – Sept. 23;
• Manaslu (Nepal) – September 27;
• Shisha Pangma (China) on October 29.

Although the speedy conquest of the highest mountains was Nims’ main objective, this record is not the only one he managed to set as part of the project. At the same time, the climber also holds six other records:

• conquered the most eight-thousanders in the spring season – six;
• conquered the most eight-thousanders in the summer season – five;
• conquered the three highest mountains in the world in the shortest time;
• climbed the five highest mountains in the world in the shortest time;
• climbed the three lowest 8,000-meter mountains in the world in the shortest time;
• conquered Everest, Lhotse and Makalu in the shortest time – in 48 hours, breaking his personal record of five days.

Mountaineer rescue and visa problems

Nims managed to complete the expedition in six months and six days. However, as the climber himself notes, the case could have been over even faster, if not for a hiccup with his visa and some unforeseen circumstances. Twice he had to rescue climbers in trouble. The first incident happened at the very beginning of the project, on April 23. When Nims was descending the first mountain, Annapurna, he found and rescued a lost climber who had fallen behind his expedition and had not eaten or drunk for 40 hours by the time he was rescued.

The second time when Purja had to show heroic qualities happened on May 15. Having climbed to the top of Kanchenjunga in just 21 hours, at an altitude of 8400 meters, he and his team came across two climbers who could not descend on their own and needed help. Nims and his companions gave them their air tanks and helped them return.

A hiccup with the paperwork occurred at the final stage of the expedition. Nims had to wait a long time for permission to climb the last mountain of Shishapangma. It was obtained only on October 15, after the Nepalese government appealed directly to the Chinese authorities on behalf of the climber.

Training with the British Royal Marines

So who is Nirmal Purja and why did he decide to conquer the 14 highest mountains by all means? A native of Nepal, 36-year-old Nirmal has been climbing since 2012. Nims became interested in rock climbing, one could say, by accident. That year he decided to visit the base camp on Everest, but then, instead of going down, he climbed to the top.

It may seem strange how a man who had never been involved in mountaineering was able to climb Everest so spontaneously. The fact is that Nims was already characterized by good sports training and physical fitness. Since 2003, he served in the British Army, and in 2009 he joined the British Royal Infantry. In 2018, Queen Elizabeth II awarded Nirmal with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

According to the mountaineer himself, he had one goal in life since childhood – to join the Gurkhas, the British troops that are recruited from Nepali and Indian volunteers. After Nirmal was recruited, he learned about an elite unit, the British Royal Infantry, and that’s when all his dreams centered around it. To pass the rigorous selection process, Nims had to train hard. Every morning, regardless of the weather, he would get up at 3:00 and train, after which the Gurkhas’ workday would begin. It was his strict discipline, determination and positive attitude that helped Purja succeed first in the military and then in mountaineering.

When you create such an atmosphere around you, you always give your best, because there is no other option. Never count on failure.

Nirmal Purj’s story is an inspiring example of how one should not only set goals, but also achieve them despite all the difficulties and obstacles on the way. Nims accomplished what seemed impossible. He didn’t just end up on top of the world, he visited 14 of them. The Nepalese climber’s amazing record once again reminded everyone that anything is possible if you believe in it.