Nirmal Purja Sets New Record Time for Climbing 8000m Peaks
There are only 14 peaks over 8000 meters on Earth, and climbing even one of them is a serious endeavor undertaken by only the most experienced mountaineers (with the possible exception of Everest). However, 43 people have now climbed all 14— an achievement many would consider the crown jewel of high-altitude mountaineering. All of them spent years chipping away at the list. That is, all but one: Nirmal Purja summited Tibet's Shishapangma, his final 8000m summit, on October 29th, a mere six months and seven days after starting his world record attempt. In doing so, he took the record from Kim Chang-Ho, a South Korean whose time of seven years, 10 months and six days had stood since 2013.
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Purja's world record attempt is part of Project Possible, a program intended to inspire people to reach their full potential. With more and more people becoming interested in high-altitude climbing, it's impossible to say how long the record will stand, but it's safe to say that we're feeling pretty damn inspired.
