Nirmal Purja has summited all 8,000m peaks in a little over six months
Mountaineer Nirmal Purja has claimed his final 8,000m peak, shattering the record for summiting all 14 of the world’s highest peaks.
He reached the top of Shishapangma on Tuesday morning, completing the round of 8,000m mountains in just over six months.
The previous record for summiting all 14 was more than seven years.
The Nepalese mountaineer, known as Nims, reached the top of the Tibetan peak at 8.58am local time. He was supported in his Project Possible quest by a team of Sherpas from his home country.
A spokesperson for pack brand Osprey, one of the climber’s sponsors, said: “Nims is an incredible force; an extraordinary mountaineer who, because of his training, mind-set and sheer determination, is capable of achieving things beyond even the most experienced climber.
“Paired with a Nepalese heritage and a passion for the mountains of his homeland, Nims travelled back to the Himalayas to take on the most epic challenge of his life, Project Possible.
“Supported by his all-Nepalese Sherpa team, the aim of Project Possible was to break the world record for climbing 14 8,000m peaks in just seven months, a paradigm shift in the perception of human potential.”
The former Gurkha soldier and member of the Special Boat Service, was appointed an MBE in June last year for his services to high-altitude mountaineering.
He said: “I am overwhelmed and incredibly proud to have completed this final summit and achieved my goal of climbing the world’s 14 tallest mountains in record time.
“It has been a gruelling but humbling six months, and I hope to have proven that anything is possible with some determination, self-belief and positivity. I could not have made it happen without the unending support of my friends and family who have been in my heart this entire time. We started with nothing, but look how far we’ve come,
“This only happened through the support of our friends and followers across the globe.
“Big thank you to all my friends and family for supporting this endeavour. Thank you for being so kind to us.”
His record-breaking schedule was:
- Annapurna 23 April
- Dhaulagiri 12 May
- Kanchenjunga 15 May
- Everest 22 May
- Lhotse 22 May
- Makalu 24 May
- Nanga Parbat 3 July
- Gasherbrum I 15 July
- Gasherbrum II 18 July
- K2 24 July
- Broad Peak 26 July
- Cho Oyu 23 September
- Manaslu 27 September
- Shishapangma 29 October
Osprey helped fund the project and supported Nims with the only pack that it said could keep up with the man himself: the Aether Pro.
Jonathan Petty, Osprey Europe managing director, said: “Today we have seen climbing history rewritten, and from everyone at Osprey I would personally like to congratulate Nims and his team on such an incredible accomplishment.
“The determination Nims has displayed at every stage of Project Possible is something we should all aspire to. No matter how difficult the endeavour, the journey will always be the reward.”
