“Mission accomplished” – within six months Purja mounts Nirmal the 14 highest mountain peaks in the world. The Nepalese mountain climber of what is possible: with a strong Team, oxygen and determination.
Nirmal Purja – a former elite soldier destroys 14 8000 in a few months
Occasionally, the mountaineers Nirmal, called “Nims” Purja is forfeited still in the military jargon: “I’m still standing strong and brave on the battle field, my Mission, my Vision and my goal are clear.” All 14 eight-thousanders in just seven months – it had made the former elite soldier in the British army. And the 36-Year-old has managed, in only a little more than six months.
Had begun his tour de force riding on the eight-thousander-peaks on the 23. April with his success on Annapurna (8091 meters). This Tuesday Purja reached with his Sherpa Team to the summit of the Shishapangma (8027 meters) in Tibet, and ended his series: “Mission accomplished” it said on the Facebook page of “Project Possible”, as Purja referred to his record attempt. 8:58 a.m. (local time) he reached with his three-member Team to the summit. The lowest eight-thousander was the last that was missing in his collection yet – and caused him pain most of the abdomen.
Actually, the Chinese-Tibetan authorities had closed the mountain for this fall – for safety reasons, as it was officially called. Behind closed doors it was rumored that the leadership in Beijing wanted to hate to have a foreign audience, it should be in Tibet around the 70. Anniversary of the Communist state’s founding on 1. Disturbances of October give.
The Nepalese government asked for Purja an exception. And also the mountain climber scene appealed to in countless emails and blog articles to the people responsible to jump over the own shadow. Surprisingly, the Chinese-Tibetan authorities issued Purja then indeed, after the conclusion of the celebration of the week of the national holiday, a special permit, complete the Shishapangma climb, and thus be “Project Possible”, as he had christened it, successfully.
Mortgage taken on the house
As a Purja presented his Plan to the end of 2018, he earned a shake of mainly the head. Around 40 climbers had climbed all 14 mountains beyond the magical 8000-Meter mark. The up to then fastest, the South Koreans Kim Chang-Ho, was used for seven years and ten months, the South Tyrolean Reinhold Messner, the first man in 1986, this work of art was a successful piece, even over 16 years. How should Purja create it in only seven months? And where he wanted to take the money?
The eight-thousanders Shishapangma lies entirely in Tibetan territory
“A financial risk followed on the other,” said Nims Purja later. He took out an additional mortgage on his house and put the money in his project. Desperately, he searched for sponsors, collected via Crowdfunding in the Internet of money, and then led to some of the eight-thousanders, the he in series abhakte, paying customers to the summit. “Eight-thousanders to climb, is a more expensive fun,” said Purja to the author and mountain experts Stefan Nestler at the end of June, after he had stood on the first six peaks and bring him back once the money had run out. “Take a single Expedition, which costs in the order of 50,000 pounds (56,000 euros), and multiply that with 14!”
Yet somehow, they managed Purja again and again, the money necessary for his project to pull that together. “I’m going to keep going until I am successful. I was not born in this world to lose,” said the Nepalese defiantly. “I’m no sheep, waiting to be shepherds driven around. I am a lion and I refuse to talk to the sheep to go to sleep. I’m not going to complain at the hearing, the complaining and, because their disease is contagious. You should join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.”
16 years in the British army
In the Guinness book of world records Purja was already before. In 2017, he stood within only five days to three eight-thousanders-peaks: Mount Everest (8850 meters), the neighboring Lhotse (8516 meters) and Makalu (8485 m). Otherwise, the Nepalese was in the scene, a largely blank slate. The mountain climbing was not placed in the cradle. Nims grew up in the Nepalese district of Chitwan, near the Indian border, “the flat area in the whole country”, how Purja told.
The highest mountains in the world at a Glance
With 20 years of age, he entered the tradition of Gurkha Regiment of the British army is rich in the for well over 200 years, Nepalese soldiers earn your money. Six years later, Purja is a member of the “Special Boat Service”, a special unit of the British Navy, whose Motto is “By Strength and Guile” (by strength and Cunning) was quoted as saying he still likes. At the beginning of the year ended Purja after 16 years of his military service, to mountain climbing and to devote his “Project Possible”.
Bad Style?
Initially turned up their mountaineering purists about Purjas procedure the nose: In Nepal, he used the helicopter, to overcome the distance between the base camps at the foot of the eight-thousanders as quickly as possible. In addition, he rose to the already partially prepared in the normal routes used by the commercial expedition team. Above 7500 meters Purja handle to bottle oxygen. In addition, he had in his ascent, always a bear-strong Sherpa Team.
The critics fell silent, however. They had to acknowledge that Nirmal Purja Exceptional made. So he upped his record to Everest, Lhotse and Makalu at 48 hours and 30 minutes, although jam was on the Everest summit ridge in a mountain climber, his picture went around the world.
This image made Nirmal Purja on 22. May on the summit ridge of Mount Everest
The Dhaulagiri (8167 meters) succeeded him and his companions in the spring, in spite of extremely adverse weather conditions, the only summit success of the season. In the summer it looked as if the K2 (8611 meters), Pakistan description the second highest mountain in the world, this year unbestiegen remain, most of the team had already thrown in the towel would. But then Purja and co., the Route up to the summit has secured, and in their footsteps, about 30 mountain rose climber to the highest point. By the way, Purja participated in the eight-thousanders in a total of four rescue operations.
“Only the beginning”
The secret of its success Nirmal Purja described to the author in a nutshell in this way: “I firmly believe that everything in life is only with determination and a positive attitude is possible. I am determined and have a positive attitude.” To drive him after his Coup of the 14 eight-thousanders, also continue to peak performance. On the social networks Purja said: “Believe me friends, this is only the beginning.”
The was Nirmal Purjas “Project Possible”:
- Annapurna, 23. April 2019
- Dhaulagiri, 12. May 2019
- Kangchenjunga, 15. May 2019
- Mount Everest, 22. May 2019
- Lhotse, 22. May 2019
- Makalu, 24. May 2019
- Nanga Parbat, 3. July 2019
- Gasherbrum I, 15. July 2019
- Gasherbrum II, 18. July 2019
- K2, 24. July 2019
- Broad Peak, 26. July 2019
- Cho Oyu, 23. September 2019
- Manaslu, 27. September 2019
- Shishapangma, 29. October 2019