Nirmal Purja, formerly known as Nims Dai, is the person who inspires a lot of people through dedication and hard work in selfless terms. Making various records of his own throughout his life of just 43 years, he managed to create about 24 records. Out of which the record of making the most ascents in 8000m peaks without supplemental oxygen is considered the highest by any human till now. He started mountaineering in 2012, and ever since, he has done nothing but keep breaking records after every few months. His greatest achievement is completing all 14 peaks of 8000m in a duration of just 189 days.
With a mission to complete the project 14/7 successfully, he broke the record set for several years and made one for a lifetime under his name. Moreover, his achievements were further known to a lot of people through the Netflix documentary. The documentary is titled “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible”. Unfortunately, the news of his death came just recently on 30 July 2026 while attempting to conquer the Broad Peak, which is located in Pakistan. He and some other climbers of his team, who amounted to 10 altogether, faced a tragic demise through an avalanche.
Although he is no longer with us, he sets records. The work he has done for monitoring more sits with us. While influencing many other people in life through his dedication, selflessness, and more.
Early Life of Nims Dai: From Brigade of Gurkhas to Mountaineering
Nims was born on 25 July 1983 in the house of Nanda Bahadur Purja and Purna Kumari in the small village of Dana. He came from a family of Gurkha soldiers, as his father was one, and so were his three elder brothers. He was the fourth child out of 5 siblings and moved to Chitwan District near Kathmandu with his family when he was four. Growing up poor, he mentioned that he didn’t have flip-flops.
Although his early life seems challenging, he completed his schooling in an English-speaking boarding school funded by his three brothers. He was proficient in Kickboxing during his school time and later attended Loughborough University in England. There he received a postgraduate diploma in security management. Purja joined the Brigade of Gurkhas in 2003, and by 2009 he was accepted into the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Services (SBS). Serving as a cold-weather warfare specialist, he also mentioned that he was involved in all the theaters of British war.
The first time Purja set foot on the mountain was in 2012, reaching the summit of Lobuche East without any mountaineering experience. He ascended many mountains, including some eight-thousanders, before he finally resigned in 2018 from the SBS to pursue full-time high-altitude mountaineering. While doing so, he had given up on his army pension, which he mentioned was a life-changing amount of money.
Ascents of Eight-Thousanders Conquered By Nims Dai
Over the span of his life, the greatest achievement of Nims Dai has to be his record-making 14 climbing of eight-thousanders. As per research published, only three climbers- Purja, Ed Viesturs, and Veikka Gustafsson have completed these 14 geographical summits.
Purja completed this under Project 14/7, which he started to support the Sherpas, promote their worldwide importance, and more. During this project, he climbed three 8,000ers, including Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu, in an astonishing 48 hours and 30 minutes. The table below records and shows the list of all the eight-thousander peaks with height and the date of ascent by Nims Dai.
| S.no. | Eighth-thousander peak (height) | Date of ascent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Everest (8848 m) | 13 May 2016, 15 May 2017, 27 May 2017, 22 May 2019, 31 May 2021, 15 May 2022, 28 May 2022, 17 May 2023, 27 May 2026 |
| 2 | K2 (8611 m) | 24 July 2019, 16 January 2021, 22 July 2022 |
| 3 | Kangchenjunga (8586 m) | 15 May 2019, 7 May 2022, 18 May 2025 |
| 4 | Lhotse (8516 m) | 27 May 2017, 22 May 2019, 16 May 2022, 28 May 2022, May 2023, 27 May 2026 |
| 5 | Makalu (8485 m) | 1 June 2017, 24 May 2019, 5 June 2023 |
| 6 | Cho Oyu (8188 m) | 23 September 2019, 2 October 2023 |
| 7 | Dhaulagiri (8167 m) | 18 May 2014, 12 May 2019, 8 October 2021 |
| 8 | Manaslu (8163 m) | 27 September 2019, 27 September 2021, 25 September 2025 |
| 9 | Nanga Parbat (8125 m) | 3 July 2019, 2 July 2023, 3 July 2025 |
| 10 | Annapurna (8091 m) | 23 April 2019, April 2023, 15 April 2024 |
| 11 | Gasherbrum I (8080 m) | 15 July 2019, 21 July 2023, July 2025 |
| 12 | Broad Peak (8051 m) | 26 July 2019, 25 July 2023, July 2025 |
| 13 | Gasherbrum II (8034 m) | 18 July 2019, 17 July 2023, 21 July 2026 |
| 14 | Shishapangma (8027 m) | 29 October 2019, 4 October 2024 |
The Extraordinary Mountaineering Feats by Nirmal “Nims” Purja
Nirmal Purja was not just a mere legend but born to be a legend in many great ways. From soloing various records in the eight-thousanders mountaineering to opening a foundation to help the Sherpas and their families, in a short life, he has collected the records that will go down in history for decades. A mere man, he would be known for his extraordinary feats of mountaineering. Let’s look at some of his bigger and smaller wins that you should know about him.
1. 14 Peaks Record Under Project Possible
Nirmal Purja scaled all 14 above 8,000-meter-high peaks (also referred to as “Death Zone” peaks) in the time span of 6 months and 6 days. This is unbelievable, right? But he completed it like a piece of cake because previously the longest time it took anyone to scale all 14 mountains was more than 7 years and created history that nobody can break.
2. Submitted K2 in Winter Season Without Any Oxygen
The month of January 2021 witnessed a very rare feat performed by Nirmal Purja when he was a part of a team of 10 climbers who became the first team ever to have reached the top of K2 (the most dangerous mountain in the world) in the winter season. Out of all the climbers who climbed K2, Purja was the only climber who did it without using supplementary oxygen.
3. Climbed Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu in a Go of 48 Hours
Whereas many others may spend weeks of leisure after their climbs, Nirmal Purja managed to climb three of the highest mountains, including Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu, in one continuous go of 48 hours and 30 minutes.
4. Breaking the Record of Climbing All 14 Peaks Without Oxygen in Just 2.5 Years
After the successful completion of his Project Possible, Purja succeeded in climbing all 14 peaks of 8,000 meters tall completely without oxygen in just 2.5 years.
5. Five Highest Mountains Fastest Ascents
Nirmal Purja holds the world record for the fastest ascent of the five highest mountains in the world (Mount Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, and Makalu).
6. Captured the Viral Everest Traffic Jam Photograph
Are you familiar with that viral photo from 2019 depicting a lengthy “traffic jam” of climbers on Mount Everest? The photographer behind that photograph is actually none other than Nirmal Purja.
7. Reputed Military Background
Purja had a career of 16 years in the British Military prior to becoming the conqueror of Himalayan peaks. He started his career as a renowned Gurkha and was chosen to become the first Gurkha ever inducted into the Special Boat Service (SBS).
Rest Above the Clouds: Legend of Mountaineering
Purja has achieved many great feats, but undoubtedly, the ultimate aim was to have a mountaineering career that elevates the climbing world. To achieve this feat, Purja founded the Nimsdai Foundation in 2022. It functions as an organization that helps mountain communities through environmental sustainability of the environment in “Big Mountain Cleanup” projects. Financial assistance in rescue operations at high altitudes and helps the families of the Sherpas who lose their lives while on duty. Through his commitment to ensuring proper compensation and worldwide recognition for climbing companions, Purja guarantees respect for the unsung heroes of the Himalayas.
Undoubtedly, climbing at a high altitude is dangerous business, which is exemplified by the recent horrifying news about the big avalanche. That occurred in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range and put the very life of Nirmal Purja into peril. Nevertheless, despite all the dangers associated with the so-called “Death Zone,” Purja’s dedication stays strong and fearless. Due to his philanthropic nature and superhuman physical accomplishments, Nirmal Purja will forever go down in history as the ultimate trailblazer who revolutionized mountaineering forever.
