Nirmal Purja

“I was born in Nepal, I grew up in the Gurkhas, and I became a man in the SBS.”

“To be honest, I really can't lie on the beach for more than an hour.”

“When you say you are from Nepal, people always ask you if you've seen Everest. And I had to say no. I felt like I had to go and do this, just for my sanity.”

“I summited four mountains - Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I - in one push. I didn't camp anywhere. Just went boom, summit, brother.”

“When people are in stressful situations, they do shout.”

“There were no good schools in my village. So my family moved so that my siblings and I would get a better education.”

“The 14-8,000-meter-peaks-in-six-months project was something nobody could imagine was ever possible. It's tough just to climb one 8,000-meter peak, let alone 14 in such a short period of time.”

“My favorite food is dahl bhat, the only Nepalese food you can eat on all the expeditions. Everyone from the mountaineering community would know this!”

“We used to live in this little house where the whole of the upper floor was used for chickens. It was four days' walk to the nearest road.”

“K-2 in winter is something people had thought about for a long time, but had never accomplished. For me, more satisfaction came from winter K2 because it was done in a different manner and style, a message of team unification rather than just me climbing for myself.”

“Funding has been the hardest part, and my wife has been extremely supportive both when I decided to leave my job, and even when I re-mortgaged our home and put equity into the project. I am lucky to have such a loving and supportive partner.”

“When I joined the special forces it was never for the money. It was for pure desire to serve in an elite unit.”

“As a Nepali, I hope my climbs put a spotlight on the talented climbers here.”

“I have my company, Elite Himalayan Adventures, which provides a platform for those who seek to push their limits on extreme adventures, whether that be Everest and Lhotse in Nepal, or K2 and Broad Peak in Pakistan.”

“Well, the best advice I can ever give to anyone, not only in terms of mountaineering but in general life, is not to listen to anyone. Listen to your heart, believe in yourself and always give 100 percent.”

“What I am humble and proud about is that I was able to show a path, simply to demonstrate what could be possible with 8,000-meter peaks. Now that the paradigm has shifted, more people can relate to that possibility, and it should be easier next time to conceptualize and achieve it.”

“My father was a Gurkha, as well as my brothers, and I appreciated the attitude I saw coming from them after they joined. The Gurkhas go through a huge selection process with thousands trying to get in, and only 25 people make it at a time.”

“Because of what I did and where I came from, people just assumed I'd climbed every mountain in my country.”