Nirmal Purja

Early life and education

Quoted from Wikipedia: Nirmal Purja (CC BY-SA 4.0); each sentence links the source Wikipedia cites for it. Checked 7 November 2026.

• Nirmal ("Nims") Purja was born on 25 July 1983 in Dana, a small village in Nepal's Myagdi District, near Mount Dhaulagiri. RedBull National Geographic
• He was the youngest of five children born to Nanda Bahadur Purja and Purna Kumari. The Times
• His father served as a Gurkha soldier in the Indian Army, while his mother came from a farming background. National Geographic
• Their inter-caste marriage was frowned upon because they came from different ethnic backgrounds, leaving both financially and socially cut off from their respective families. National Geographic
• When Purja was four years old, his family moved to southern lowlands of Nepal, known as the Terai, and settled in Chitwan District. National Geographic
• His three older brothers helped fund his education at an English-speaking boarding school. National Geographic

Career

• Purja joined the Brigade of Gurkhas in 2003 and was accepted into the Royal Navy's Special Boat Service (SBS) in 2009, becoming the first Gurkha to join the elite British unit. Red Bull The New York Times
• He served in the SBS as a cold-weather warfare specialist. Sportstar
• Purja said that he was involved in all theatres of war in which Britain was engaged and that he was wounded when a sniper bullet struck the butt of his rifle, narrowly missing his neck. National Geographic
• In 2018 he resigned from the SBS to focus full-time on high-altitude mountaineering. National Geographic
• He had become an important contributor to his family while serving in the military and he was giving up his army pension, which he described as "a life-changing" amount of money. BBC Sport National Geographic
• On 18 May 2014, he made his first ascent of an eight-thousander by summiting Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres) during a return trip of only 15 days. Dreamwanderlust.com.com

Key decisions and achievements

• On 4 October 2024, Purja broke two world records after summiting Shishapangma: the fastest time to summit all 14 peaks without supplemental oxygen (2 years and 5 months), and the fastest to summit all 14 peaks both with and without supplemental oxygen. NIMSDAI
• On 21 October 2024, he became the first person to summit the 14 peaks and the Seven Summits both with and without supplemental oxygen. NIMSDAI
• In 2025, Purja announced his latest challenge, the Hat-Trick Challenge, aiming to complete the 14 Peaks and the Seven Summits for the third time. everestchronicle.com
• He said he would self‑fund the project, with all donations and sponsorship money supporting the Nimsdai Foundation. www.myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com
• Its most high‑profile project is the Big Mountain Clean Up, launched to remove waste from the high peaks. Homegrown Lonely Planet
• This was his 50th successful ascent of an 8,000m peak and his 22nd without supplemental oxygen. Nepal Press

Controversies and criticism

• In May 2024, The New York Times reported on allegations of sexual misconduct against Purja levied by Finnish mountaineer Lotta Hintsa and Californian physician April Leonardo. The New York Times Adventure Magazine The Guardian
• Since the incidents took place outside their home countries, both Hintsa and Leonardo “felt powerless” and did not contact the law enforcement about their experience. The New York Times Adventure Magazine
• Grivel and Scarpa suspended their marketing and promotional activities featuring the mountaineer. The Independent dw.com
• In 2025, the Nepal Press Council blacklisted The Himalayan Times and removed its government-funded advertising following an investigation into "imbalanced" articles about Purja and his companies, Skydive Nimsdai and Elite Exped. NepalverifiedNews
• In response, Purja and his companies filed a complaint with the Nepal Press Council, prompting an investigation. Arthasansar
• On 20 February 2025, the Council ruled that the publication had breached the Journalistic Code of Conduct, stating that the articles were "unilateral and imbalanced, aimed at creating hatred and discrimination, and potentially causing damage to individuals." As a result, the council blacklisted The Himalayan Times and withdrew government-funded advertising. प्रेस काउन्सिल नेपालले दि हिमालयन टाइम्सलाई कालोसूचीमा राख्यो

Notable statements

• In an interview with National Geographic, Puja recalled coming from a very poor background, saying, "As a kid, I remember I didn't even have flip-flops." National Geographic
• Later, in an interview with The New York Times, she confirmed that “her experience was more disturbing than she had described in the book,” revealing that Purja had led her to the bedroom in his hotel suite, attempted to remove her clothes, touched her inappropriately, and masturbated next to her despite her repeated objections. The New York Times
• Purja “unequivocally denied allegations of wrongdoing” through his lawyer, and described the accounts as “defamatory and false.” In another statement, he announced that his team will be initiating legal proceedings against The New York Times. The Guardian The New York Times