Nirmal Purja, also known as Nims or Nimsdai, is a naturalized British mountaineer who was born in Nepal on July 25, 1983. He served in the Brigade of Gurkhas of the British Army and the Special Boat Service (SBS), the Royal Navy’s special forces unit, before pursuing a career in climbing. With the use of bottled oxygen, Purja is renowned for having scaled all 14 eight-thousanders (peaks higher than 8,000 meters or 26,000 feet) in a period of six months and six days.At the time of the climb, this was a record, but Kristin Harila and Tenjen Sherpa summited all 14 eight-thousanders in 92 days in 2023, shattering it.
Even today, Purja remains the first person to summit Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu within a 48-hour period. Purja and a group of nine other mountaineers from Nepal achieved the first winter climb of K2 in 2021.
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Early life of Nimsdai
The Nirmal (“Nimsdai”) Purja was born in July 1983 in Dana, a small village located 1,600 meters above sea level in Nepal’s Myagdi District[19] close to Dhaulagiri . His family relocated to the Chitwan District, close to Kathmandu, when he was 4 years old.
His mother came from a rural family, while his father served in the Gurkha army. Being from two distinct Nepalese castes, their union was frowned upon, and they were isolated from their respective families on both a social and economical level.
“We came from a really poor family,” Purja told National Geographic, adding, “As a kid, I remember I didn’t even have flip-flops .”His three somewhat more senior brothers, who became Gurkha troops, paid purja’s tuition to attend an English-speaking boarding school. He developed his kick-boxing skills during his time in school. He subsequently enrolled at Loughborough University, where he received a post graduate diploma in security management .
Military Career of Nirmal Purja “Nimsdai”
Nimsdai Purja enlisted in the Brigade of Gurkhas in 2003, and in 2009, he was approved for admission to the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Service (SBS), becoming the first Gurkha to do so. He worked as a specialist in cold-weather warfare for the Special Boat Service. Purja was wounded after taking a sniper bullet that missed his neck and struck the butt of the stock of his rifle, according to Ministry of Defense restrictions, which prevent him from discussing his operations with the SBS. Purja stated he was involved in all war theatres in which Britain was engaged.
Mountaineering & Climbing Career of Nirmal Purja a.k.a Nimsdai
Nirmal “Nims” Purja, who was born in the Myagdi area of Nepal and was nurtured in the flatlands of Chitwan, may not have lived in the shadow of the Himalayas as a child, but he has dedicated most of his life to climbing seemingly insurmountable mountains.
Nirmal, who is regarded as one of the top mountaineers in the world, spent a large portion of his life in the military, originally as a member of the Brigade of Gurkhas, which he joined in 2003. He was the first Gurkha to ever join Britain’s Special Boat Service (SBS) six years later, when he worked as an expert in cold-weather combat.
Nirmal discovered a passion for mountaineering while serving in the SBS. In spite of having no prior climbing experience, he set out on his first significant ascent in 2012 and succeeded in reaching the peak of Lobuche East.
In just two years, he achieved his first ascent of an 8,000-meter mountain when he completed Dhaulagiri in just 15 days, igniting his enthusiasm for mountaineering.
He conquered Mount Everest on May 13, 2016, and did it again the following year while leading a group of 13 Gurkhas to the summit to recognize 200 years of Gurkha service to the British Army.
The next moment, he returned to the summit, this time determined to break the current record. This was accomplished just five days after Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu were ascended. The first of several records he would assert in the mountains, it was.
Nirmal made the decision to leave the military in 2018 in order to concentrate on his mountaineering career. He received an MBE for his exceptional work in high altitude mountaineering that same year.
Nims’ first significant undertaking after leaving the SBS was to climb all 14 of the world’s highest mountains in less than seven months. Each mountain was above 8,000 meters high. In just six months and six days, he accomplished the feat, setting numerous world records along the way, including the fastest ascent of the three tallest mountains in the world—Everest, K2, and Kanchenjunga.
Nirmal once again made history on January 16, 2021, when he and nine other mountaineers from Nepal became the first to climb K2 during the bitterly cold winter.
Elite Exped by Nimsdai , Mingma david sherpa & Mingma tenzi sherpa
Mountains are more than simply our line of work at Elite Exped. Our passion is climbing, we thrive on adventure, and the Himalayas are where we call home. Run by three world-class mountaineers, Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja , Mingma David Sherpa, and Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, we aim to share our knowledge and enthusiasm for the peaks that motivate us every day with others.
Delivering specialized guiding experiences on the highest mountains in the world is Elite Exped’s area of expertise. We’re here to assist you in following in our footsteps through some of the most difficult terrain on earth.
Nimsdai, Mingma David, and Mingma Tenzi, the directors of our company, have all achieved achievements in the Himalayas that have earned them Guinness World Records. In January 2021, all three were a part of the first team to ascend K2 during the winter. Their bond was built via record-breaking efforts in some of the most punishing settings on Earth, and Elite Exped was born out of their long-standing climbing partnership.
Our workplace is in the Himalayas, but many of our friends and relatives also reside there. These mountains ought to be accessible to anyone, but they also need to be protected so that future generations can enjoy them.
