Nirmal Purja
Purja in 2021 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 July 1983 Myagdi, Gandaki Province, Nepal |
| Nationality | British, Non-Resident Nepali Citizenship (since 9 November 2023) |
| Career | |
| Starting age | 29/30 |
| Notable ascents | Ascent of all fourteen eight-thousander mountains, with a time of six months and six days (supplemental oxygen aid) - a record time until 2023.
Fastest ascent of Mount Everest, Lhotse and Makalu, in 48 hours First winter ascent of K2 |
| Family | |
| Spouse | Suchi Purja |
| Children | Himani Purja |
Nirmal Purja (known as Nims or Nimsdai) MBE (Nepali: निर्मल पुर्जा; born 25 July 1983) is a Nepal-born naturalised British mountaineer. Prior to taking on a career in mountaineering, he served in the British Army with the Brigade of Gurkhas followed by the Special Boat Service (SBS), the special forces unit of the Royal Navy.
Purja is notable for having climbed all 14 eight-thousanders (peaks above 8,000 metres or 26,000 feet) in a time of six months and six days with the aid of bottled oxygen between April and October 2019. This was a record at the time of climbing, although it was broken in 2023 by Kristin Harila and Tenjen Sherpa, who summitted all 14 eight-thousanders in 92 days. Purja was the first person to reach the summits of Mount Everest, Lhotse and Makalu within 48 hours. In 2021, Purja, along with a team of nine other Nepalese climbers, completed the first winter ascent of K2.