Nimsdai ‘Nims’ Purja. Nims is the multi world record breaking mountaineer who climbed all 14 of the world’s ‘Death Zone’ peaks over 8,000m in just 6 months and 6 days. He led the first winter ascent of the ‘Savage Mountain’ K2. His Netflix film, 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, is out now, as is his best-selling book, Beyond Possible. Nims is a Global Goodwill Ambassador for Nepal Tourism.
You have climbed 8k summits 47 times. What keeps you going to climb the same summits over and over again?
My mission has always been bigger than me – I have always made it my mission to champion diversity and inclusivity in the mountains. Whether that’s raising the name of Nepal and its incredible climbing community, or helping climbers with sponsorship so that they can get into the mountains. I believe that my purpose is to inspire others and help them achieve their own climbing goals. So, when I lead clients on these mountains, I am focussed on helping them achieve their goals.
Also, every time you climb a mountain the experience is different, because the conditions are different. Each time the weather will be different or there may only be a very short summit window – so there is always a fresh challenge.
Every exped team has their own way to climb, some expedition leaders stay at Base camp or coordinate from Kathmandu, but for me I feel it is very important to lead from the front. Clients gain confidence from having my experience with them on the summit push and hence why I lead from the front.
Sometimes I think people see my 47 x 8k summits and think, I must find it easy, but that is not the case. Each time you climb, you have to be aware and respectful of the mountains and nature – they will humble you. You have to have safety as your number one priority and you have to meticulously plan every part of the expedition – while also being prepared to change that plan if needed, depending on the conditions.
Describe your love for the mountains? What are the three biggest teachings from the mountains to you?
For me, when I am in the mountains, all the noise at sea-level, everything else fades away and I am fully focussed on the mission. The mountains have taught me so much, because no-one is higher than nature, when climbing mountains nature is god. The mountains made me and gave me new purpose and meaning.
In the Big Mountains, you are humbled. You realise there is a force bigger than you, and you have to be respectful of that. You have to realise that mountaineering comes with inherent risk and you have to be prepared for that.
A part of my heart is always in the mountains, no matter where I am.
You featured in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks. What are some ways in which the documentary shaped your life for the future?
I think it has shaped it in that I now have a global platform which I can use to help others, through speaking out on subjects like Gurkha pensions, or by highlighting the amazing guides in the Nepal climbing community.
Me and my team shot all that footage ourselves on a very few cameras. I always say that with the 14 Peaks challenge, the hardest bit was actually getting the funding – the climbing was the easy part! People said to me that my mission was impossible, that’s why I called it Project Possible. So, I knew if we didn’t film the whole story then someone would come along later and say – ‘oh they didn’t really do it.’ Hence why, we shot all the footage, including when my mum was in the hospital, because we wanted to document this journey that was always bigger than me. It was about showing what human beings can do, to show people that they can dream big and achieve their new possible – no matter what their goals are in life or what mountains they may be facing, (real ones or metaphorical ones.)
14 Peaks really shows who I really am – that everything I do is with a bigger purpose than myself – and that together my team and I showed the world that nothing is impossible!
For me, the main importance of the documentary was getting that message of inspiration and positivity out to the world. To show the world the incredible mountaineering community and the importance that Nepal has played in helping people achieve their mountaineering goals right from the very beginning. For me, highlighting my team and their role in making the impossible possible, was hugely important.
It has been so amazing to see the reaction to the film; people have reached out to say they are planning to visit Nepal because of the film, or that it has inspired them to keep going with their own dreams, even when they face challenges. People have reached out with amazing stories of their own experiences trekking and climbing and paying homage to their Sherpas and guides that helped them. That’s amazing – that is the impact we wanted this film to have.
Because of many people climbing Mount Everest, there is unsustainable waste on the mountain. What can be done to preserve Everest?
There are some amazing initiatives going on at Everest to help protect and restore it – for example like Sagarmatha Next which is a project where people bring down waste with them. They get a bag to collect it and it is recycled once it’s down the mountain. There are also initiatives to pay people to bring down oxygen canisters and get paid for this. So, there is a lot of work going on and lots of good initiatives.
Through the Nimsdai Foundation, my team and I have been working for the last few years doing the Big Mountain Clean Up on mountains like Everest, K2 and Manaslu. This involves highly trained teams being deployed to clean at the various Camps as you travel up the mountain. Sadly, this clean-up is not cheap, but it’s one part of what we can do to help protect these beautiful mountains. Again, it’s about a concerted effort by everyone in the Big Mountains to make long-term change. No one clean-up is going to solve all the problems, but an on-going educational programme, coupled with legislation and clean ups, will make a difference.
There are also small changes that companies can make, for example, using “Clean as you go” and “Leave no trace” protocols. My team also has a solar array that powers our Everest base camp. That is enough to power the camp, the café, the kitchens. We have an emergency backup generator in case of really bad weather, but otherwise it’s all solar.
Do you also travel besides climbing mountains? Why or why not?
I live and work on the mountains for 11 months a year, so when I am off the mountains I want to spend as much time with my family as possible.
What was the one stand out moment from your first climb that made you want to go to the mountains again?
My first mountain was actually a trek to Everest Base Camp. Being from Nepal, everyone asks if you’ve been to Everest. Growing up in Chitwan in the lowlands, I had never seen the mountains before. But when I was in the British Special Forces everyone would ask where I was from and if I had climbed Everest. So, in 2012 I went and did the Everest Base Camp trek during my military leave. I will never forget the sight. Standing at Base Camp I knew I would climb Everest – that was my next mission.
And now here I am, I have the most successful summits of 8,000ers than anyone in the world (47 in total.) I am proud of the journey and how I have worked hard all along the way to help others achieve their goals (through guiding but also through athlete sponsorship to help them climb, even if it’s with another company,) I am proud of my team and how they have inspired the world. I always say to people it is never too late to achieve your goals – I didn’t go to Everest until I was 28 years old!
What are some new goals you have set for your life after having climbed so many peaks?
I think, for me, you never stop learning and evolving. That is really important. There is always another goal and something else you can do to give back in life. For me, my main focus for this year is the Nimsdai Foundation. Everything I do, from guiding to exped fees to speaking opportunities and clothing sales, everything I do gives 5% to the Foundation to continue their charitable work. So, this year they are building a new Porter’s Lodge at Lobuche on the Everest Base Camp trail. This will be a purpose-built space for the unsung heroes of the mountains, the Porters, to rest. Currently when they get to Lobuche, they face an extra 10km walk round-trip after their workday is over, because there is no fit-for-purpose accommodation there. Working with the local community and the Government, this new Porters Lodge will provide a safe place for Porters to rest.
I believe it’s important to look to the future and ensure high-quality, well-paid jobs in the mountain community. If we don’t, then young people will leave for other opportunities in the cities, so it is important from a point of view of protecting Big Mountain culture as well.
Having that goal and mission to help others is important, I am grateful for the platform I have to be able to speak up and help bring about positive change. Whether that be through projects with the Foundation, or through speaking up about equity for Gurkha pensions, or Climate Change in the mountains – I believe we only have one home, the Earth and we need to work together to make a difference and protect it.
How do you maintain family life balance when you live in the mountains for a long duration?
I am very lucky – I have a wonderfully supportive family who understand my mission and what I aim to achieve through my philanthropic and expedition work. Once you have that strong base, you can achieve amazing things, because you know your family and friends have your back. They know it’s about positive change globally and inspiring people.
What can India do to preserve the Himalayas?
I think we all have to think about the changes we can make – from the personal level to the Governmental and international level. I believe that we can protect the Earth and there are many amazing initiatives currently in place to do it. There are no easy answers, for example, waste on Everest has been there for 70 years, so it will take time to clean it, and it’s not like a little pick up at sea level – its super hard work, teams need to be on oxygen to clean – but we can still try and keep making a difference, as we have done through the Foundation’s Big Mountain Clean Up.
But also, it’s a global mindset change – it’s about wider education. Both for visitors to these mountains and to the guides and Sherpas. Many do not know that their rubbish is not taken away or many may not realise the impact this waste is having. So, it’s about education of all ages, across the world.
I believe that sustainable tourism is the only way forward and I am working with the Nepal Tourism Department and other organisations to create sustainable solutions. Together I believe we can make a difference – one that supports the Big Mountain communities and means the Big Mountains are protected as well.
How can trekking be made more sustainable?
Again, I think it’s about education across all levels. We can each play a part in educating each other – so for example tourists can ask their guides about their sustainable policies and talk to guides about rubbish. And guides can inform clients about the in-country rules. It’s about working together as one Big Mountain community to make a change.
