In short
Nimsdai Purja (Nims) discusses his “Nothing is Impossible” mountaineering project—breaking records by climbing the 14 highest mountains in six months—plus the leadership, ethics, and fundraising behind his expeditions and foundation.
Guest backgrounds
Nimsdai Purja is a Nepal-born climber raised in the Brigade of Gurkhas and trained in the UK Special Forces SBS. The host is an interviewer who references watching the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks” and asks about leadership, risk, and entrepreneurship.
Key claims
He says he climbed the 14 peaks with oxygen faster than the previous record (previously nearly eight years), and claims the fastest ascent of an 8000m peak without oxygen. He emphasizes that success must pair with safety, and that he turned down offers that would have protected his pension to fund the project. He argues Western media often credits the climber while Sherpa support is essential.
Notable examples
Led the first winter ascent of K2 with a 10-Nepalese team; ran down Everest’s South Summit to rescue a client at 8,450m; turned around once on G2/Gasherbrum II when avalanche-triggering snow cracks appeared; chose to rescue a climber despite risking his mission/weather window. He also describes Elite Expert guiding novices to Everest and his Nimslai Foundation’s work (Lobuche porter lodge, cleanup projects, disaster relief, education, PTSD recovery through adventure).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOWho is Nimsdai Purja?
0:45 to 1:16
Nimsdai shares his background and early life experiences.
“I was raised in the Brigade of Gurkhas and I was made in United Kingdom's Special Forces SBS.”
Breaking Mountaineering Records
1:16 to 2:15
Discussion on Nimsdai's incredible mountaineering achievements and records.
“And the previous record was nearly eight years.”
Highlighting Sherpa Contributions
2:15 to 3:27
The documentary showcases the talent and hard work of Nepalese Sherpas.
“I can do all 14 in maybe three months without oxygen as well.”
The Bigger Purpose Behind the Climb
3:27 to 6:15
Nimsdai discusses the deeper motivations behind his record-breaking climbs.
“So I wanted to change that and in order to change that, you know, if you do something small or NIFNAF or break one record, you know, it's not the highlighted event.”
Turning Down a Military Offer
6:15 to 9:18
Nimsdai reflects on his decision to reject a secure military promotion for his climbing goals.
“So I think that's the key takeaway from this.”
Challenges of Fundraising
9:18 to 11:55
Nimsdai shares the struggles he faced in securing funding for his climbing project.
“We're known as most, the fearful, loyal and bravest soldier in the planet, right?”
Rescue and Leadership on the Mountain
11:55 to 14:01
Nimsdai discusses the importance of core values during difficult climbs and rescues.
“It was like oh my god and now I have jeopardized my career.”
The Daulagiri Climb Experience
14:01 to 14:58
Learn about the challenges faced during the Daulagiri climb and the importance of leadership.
“How can we go up and how can we come down?”
Turning Points on Mountains
15:28 to 17:46
Hear about the pivotal decisions made during climbs and the essence of safety.
“And as I said, that comes from huge amount of experience in the mountain plus being as a special forces kind of, you know, mindset and the way we meticulous to plan the expedition.”
Encouraging Climbers Through Challenges
17:47 to 19:15
Understand how Nims inspires and motivates climbers during tough moments.
“People say, you know, when a lot of people this day say, oh, you know, it's not about the summit, it's about the journey.”
Show all 23 chapters
The Best Summit Experience
19:16 to 23:00
Explore the emotional aspects of summiting K2 and the camaraderie among climbers.
“i was on everest and i was at the south summit which is 8700 meters then there was a client at the balcony which is 8 ,450 meters.”
The Journey to Special Forces
23:01 to 28:00
Discover Nims' rigorous training and commitment leading to Special Forces.
“When you, you've summited Everest 100 times.”
Nimsdai's Relentless Mindset
28:00 to 34:22
Learn about Nimsdai Purja's unwavering dedication and self-discipline in overcoming challenges.
“And that comes down to self-discipline and also a desire to represent the Gurkhas.”
Building a Legacy: Nimsdai's Ventures
34:55 to 42:01
Explore Nimsdai's entrepreneurial journey, his charity work, and his vision for the future.
“We are outgunned and we are outmanned, but we have each other.”
Mountains and Their Impact
42:01 to 44:29
Learn how mountain cleaning projects also help communities and education.
“because it's not only about cleaning the mountain but it's also about you know there's about 500 million life that depends upon the mountains, the glaciers and all that.”
Respect and Ego in Climbing
44:30 to 45:29
Explore the importance of humility and managing ego while climbing.
“You brought up ego earlier, you brought up respect and I want to frame that where it's very clear how important that is in terms of respect, honour and how you manage your own ego.”
Nature's Role in Humbling Experience
45:30 to 46:40
Understand how nature levels the playing field regardless of personal achievements.
Leadership and Ego Management in Climbing
47:08 to 49:44
Delve into how effective leadership and communication are vital in climbing expeditions.
“Have you been really tested up the mountain with someone where you've really had to manage that?”
Self-Awareness and Anticipation
49:45 to 53:15
Learn about the importance of self-awareness and planning in high-stakes situations.
“someone that's achieved a lot of success and they need to have their own self-awareness to listen and you've got to gauge that quickly.”
The Warrior Mindset and Integrity
53:16 to 56:08
Discover how a warrior mindset is crucial in both climbing and life's challenges.
“that I'm going to be talking to you and the resilience piece, the mindset, that you probably get talked to a lot about that leadership, that kind of unlimited beliefs.”
Overcoming Adversity and Integrity
56:08 to 59:12
Nims shares his journey from humble beginnings to becoming a leader in the mountaineering and business industries, emphasizing integrity and personal values.
“So when I, one person came from nowhere, from literally humbling family, no business background, my father never did business.”
The Weight of Public Perception
59:12 to 1:00:13
Nims discusses the emotional toll of public scrutiny and media misrepresentation, reflecting on how it impacts his mission.
“So there's this immense strength that goes with NIMS.”
Facing Challenges and Future Aspirations
1:00:48 to 1:06:32
Nims reveals his future climbing projects and his commitment to helping others achieve their goals while continuing his mountaineering journey.
“I think I just have to do what is right in all honesty.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:05Nimsdai. Yes, yes. I've been so looking forward to this conversation. You're a hard man to pin down. Yeah. Been all over the world. Literally came from Antarctica, so yeah. I know. I know. I know. I think it's probably taken a year to be able to know that you're not up the top of a mountain somewhere. So I feel super privileged. Tell me, who is Nimsdai? I think despite all the achievement and everything that I have achieved and when people ask me, you know, who are you? And my answer is very simple, you know. My name is Nimsday Parza. I was born in a very humbling family in Nepal. I was raised in the Brigade of Gurkhas and I was made in United Kingdom's Special Forces SBS.
0:54So, yeah, that's my intro. Love that. You mentioned the word achievement there. Tell me some of the things that you have achieved. In terms of achievement, I came with this idea, which is a ground record-breaking evolution to climb all the 14 highest mountains of the world in six months. And the previous record was nearly eight years. So what I was saying in layman's term for people who doesn't understand mountaining is if the world record for, let's say, marathon is two hours, I'm going to do that in 20 minutes. So that's what nobody believed in. So, yeah, that's one of them. And of course, you know, I led the first winter ascent of K2.
1:39K2 was the only mountain that was never climbed in winter, and it was the only last remaining, the final great challenge in the mountain in Fitch. So I led the whole expedition where 10 Nepalese, you know, climb together. And in terms of, you know, record breaking, of course, I have the fastest ascent of all 8000 meter peak without oxygen. That's what people criticize for me, say, oh yeah, he did 14 peaks with oxygen. So I just have to do something for that. And then I did that while I was guiding and leading the expedition. So because if I have to really go for the full on record, I think I I can do all 14 in maybe three months without oxygen as well.
2:22And in order to back up what I'm saying, I had climbed all the 5 ,000-8 ,000-meter peaks of Pakistan, like K2, Nangar Parbat, G1, G2, Broad Peak. While I'm leading the expedition from the front, while I'm guiding, that means it's harder, you're looking after the clients and all that. And I achieved that in 26 days without oxygen. So I'm not just bluffing. There's no bluffing. Yeah, yeah. And then here we are. he knows yeah my journey to to learning about you was the 14 peaks which came on and i had blockbuster onto netflix watched it with my family yeah i just thought wow but i think what what was so remarkable about it wasn't just the achievement it was the fact that it was it represented so much more than just you it was an incredible achievement but it showcased and highlighted how talented, how hardworking, how resilient the Nepalese Sherpas are, that often accompany a Western climber that gets to the top and takes the glory.
3:19And you really reverse that to say, hey, firstly, in a very non-egotistic way, look what I can do. These are my people. I really felt that from that documentary. Yeah, it was much needed because we always have been on the shadow and the brutal reality is whatever the western media says even if it's not the truth that becomes the truth and out of everything i would say 90 of the people who have achieved everything on the mountain ring has taken the support of the of the nepotish climbing community but um and also i understand of course they cannot say in every time where they go in i was supported by this and that every time we needed our own voice.
4:04So I wanted to change that and in order to change that, you know, if you do something small or NIFNAF or break one record, you know, it's not the highlighted event. So I had to come with something that no one ever could even imagine. You know, it's like saying, okay, the world record for marathon is two hours. I'm going to do that in 20 minutes. So it has to be a mind-boggling evolution. And for me, this project was not about myself. I was able to give up the most prestigious career for me, which is my UK Special Forces career. I had to give up my full pension. That's what we as a GERCAS work throughout the whole life for, full pension that's that's the goal so i kind of give up my goal and financial securities and also i emptied all my savings literally and even remortgaged my house and left you know only nine or ten grand in the house and and emptied everything into the project so i think the difference here is everybody can talk and say but talking is one thing and doing actually is is something so my biggest step to this success which later on became success is the commitment so I committed everything you know because I had the bigger purpose that that was not about me and and I keep saying to even when we're arguing at the house with my brother who sent me to school he's like my father you know I owe him so much and I had to go against them and and everybody else They said, Nims, why?
5:44Why? You are the main person in this family who is looking after the whole of the financial part. You're sending money to the parents, mom and dad. There's risks associated. There's a lot. And also the emotional bit associated as well from the family. So I always believed that this project was bigger than myself, my family and everybody else. And so when your purpose is bigger than yourself, you always achieve the impossible. So I think that's the key takeaway from this. There's so much there. I mean, achieving the impossible, that mindset, the risks that you take. You see, for me, the risks are very obvious and evident up the mountain.
6:27There's the physical elements, the situation, the weather, and the whole kind of risks that something could happen to you there. But actually, the risks that you take as an entrepreneur walking away from the pension. yeah and i imagine without knowing this but i assume that these western climbers were either affluent enough to afford to do it themselves or had a community around them that funded them to do it you had to come in completely differently to take these risks and you smashed the record but your analogy of 20 minutes against eight hours you know it's it's compelling yeah and you I must say that it's good and people do see the success, but the hardest part is giving up a good possible future that's been literally, you can literally take away.
7:20For example, so when I put my cheat in to leave the SAS, you know, which is tier one unit, they invited me. I went to airport in the headquarters and and and the command level said okay Nims you know look you have no sponsorship which is a million pounds you don't have any secure pensions if you leave that you know if you leave pool and out of the military but your wife will not get anything or your family will not get anything if you die on the mountain which is almost a lot of chances is there look i we will give you three rank of promotion and i was never promoted in pool and it hurts me it's okay we will give you three rank of promotion not only that we'll send you to go and do this mountaineering course where you become pretty much a a guide so you go and do this course in germany for two years so that's what i really want that's like it it touched me And then after that, you will come and you will lead the mountain sail in Harryford.
8:26That's for me, I think no one had ever offered me this kind of thing during my whole military career. And I knew that I would probably be the most decorated soldier in the planet, you know, being able to, the first Gurkha to serve in SVS, then go into the Harryford, you know, lead their mountain troop. And not only that, you know, there's a huge amount of support backing. I don't need to resign. But for me, when there's a tough decision-making evolution, I always go back to basis. And the Gurkhas are known for loyalty. I repeat, for loyalty and bravery. For me, if I can add any value to that name, I must.
9:08but I have no right to even let anybody question that name or that brand or who we are. We're known as most, the fearful, loyal and bravest soldier in the planet, right? So I said to them, I said, thank you so much. No one had ever offered me like this. And I'm actually, you know, it gets me so much into my heart. but look, the brand Gurkhas, everything, our reputation is not created by me. God knows how many people died, you know, for this name. So many wives have to kind of live as a widow. So many children, you know, lost their father in First World War, Second World War, everything. So, no, I can't, you know.
9:56And I said to them, yes, you all probably like me, but there might be another guy who doesn't probably like me, who probably have an ass. And they would say, yeah, you know, look at Nimshisa Gurkha. we throw a bit of bread on the floor and he's just coming and there is no loyalty. Somebody might say that. And I have no rights to give anybody a doubt on that element. So I know, I remember. So I rejected that offer and I was driving on the car and they invited me again. We discussed exactly the same thing. Again, I think probably they were more impressed with what my core principle and ethos and values were.
10:31So my answer was same. And I again, you know, when I drove outside the, you know, the heavy foot camp, I was crying because for me as a personal, this was the best offer I could have in the planet. but for as a as a wider perspective i felt that wasn't up to me to give anybody an opportunity to to raise a fingers um or point a finger towards you know gargha saying that you know okay they are not loyal they are not you know this that and all that so yeah so you know so i believe i believe in those kind of stuff and and i think because of all those strong values and principles i'm who who I am today but it was hard it was hard I bet it was I mean there must have been some validation to be made that offer but it was also probably very empowering for you to keep control of what is your values and I would love to bring your wife into this conversation okay one thing you know before that so I came that and and the hardest thing people need to know who are going into this challenge is the fundraising part okay so I came out announced the project then you would meet hundreds of people, if not thousands of people who said they will help you in words only.
11:46And then when it actually comes to putting the money and all that there was no one and I felt like you know I hit the brick wall and it was the most demoralizing time of my whole I think my life I would say. And it's coming from you. Yeah it was. It was like oh my god and now I have jeopardized my career. I didn't say just to you know harryford and now i'm here no one is literally no one is putting the money and all that and and it's still you know like but i had this belief the belief was like okay nobody believed this project people don't know who nimza is like because i was i had no facebook no social media no instagram all this i had no you know so i was undercover i was in sbs so i was like as soon as i start climbing the mountain in the manner and in the style that i say i will do it i think people will start putting the money so i had to just you know that's why i sold my house empty and it started the first boom we started climbing anna purna did the rescues you know yeah a lot there a lot there you know and then and then that's when people start coming in like for example we we people give up on anna purna like you know some of the the guys who are there they have tried seven times you know and then you know even fixing the the new lines on the does rip and then when people were giving i was just saying you know giving up is not blood you know that that on the you know like i just got the camera out i need to record this because to self-motivate me so i just yeah you know what giving up is not in the blood sir so and yeah fixing then we came into the into the base camp after the summit and we're supposed to go to the whole agri which is our next mountain but then i got the rescue call from somebody who is alive you know just below the summit so i was like okay what i do now do i go and continue my mission for which i have literally put everything on the line or do you want to be this wise man and be strategic guy or do you want to leave everything behind and go and rescue this guy and you're probably going to miss the weather window and you probably fail your mission and i was like well again go back to basics nims when you're in the gharcas when you're in war in in in all those places around the world when you're in special forces you never left anyone behind so why in this peace time there's no one shooting at you yeah so that's when I said okay we go up again so went and and did the rescue and and all that so you need to have core values and principles inside you it needs to be ingrained in you to to bigger things because this is all about the energy you know because a good energy a good spirit a good soul attracts good things yes Daulagiri was brutal for me to climb you know So it was really hard, the hardest weather window.
14:32We could not even see. I had to navigate from my surface. How can we go up and how can we come down? We cannot meet to this. And I said, guys, I'm a tier one UK Special Forces. Nav is in my bag. I'll get you all. And that level of confidence and kind of leading from the front, pulling the path, giving the team confidence that doesn't matter even if you cannot see here. It is my job to take you up and bring you down. Let's work, you know. So I need work there. Hello. Look what TJ Maxx dragged in. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu. We are digital. We are downloadable.
15:07We are streamable. The fashion event of the year is certified fresh. Pull yourself together. We have work to do. Critics say it's smart and witty and the perfect sequel. That's all. Get runway ready for The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Disney Plus and Hulu. Rated PG-13. you have an incredible track record um you know which could be attributed with success i want to know if you've ever had to kind of abandon or turn around if something's gone wrong yeah you know a lot of people think oh nims is a full-on aggressive climber you know he always care about his track record you know 100 success rate and all that and guys look i have been able to do that with a full-on responsibility, you know.
15:56And as I said, that comes from huge amount of experience in the mountain plus being as a special forces kind of, you know, mindset and the way we meticulous to plan the expedition. But to answer the question, yes, I have turned around once, okay. So we were on G2, Gasser Bum 2 in Pakistan, and I was part of the fixing team. and we are pushing on this mountain and this is one of my final mountain in Hat-Trick project. So as we're fixing the lines at first it just went, and I kind of ignore that, you know, that's like, that's the noise triggering to create an avalanche. Okay, I was like, okay, maybe we go and see.
16:42So at that point we're opening the route a bit diagonal. So I said to the team, guys, stop. so I went at the front and I start opening 90 degree because you know because if you if you open the the three verse way because you you create the avalanche so now I changed the tag I went straight up I was like then there's a hoop and that's like and I can see the crack of the snow I have never been scared in my life my legs were literally severing because now the whole there's everybody including you know the Qatari princess you know with my VVIP clients too everybody from other teams are following me you know and i was like oh my god if i make the wrong decision all these people are gonna die including myself so that's when i said guys turn around this is the point where we're gonna we're gonna have to say another time so this is the only time i have given up because it's not about me and and for me look i could have said okay in order to just do my track record guys come and i just probably go alone and summit but it's not about that you I try to, of course, people need to be honest.
17:49People say, you know, when a lot of people this day say, oh, you know, it's not about the summit, it's about the journey. I think that's, you know, because if that is your thing, then why don't you say, oh, I'm just going to climb to Everest up to Camp 3, you know, because it's about the journey. Why don't you say, I'm just going to Camp 4 about the, you know, don't say that, you know. It's about both success and safety in parallel. It goes hand in hand. So I care about that. So hence why I got 99.9 % of success and safety record. I love the fact you articulated that. Important, you know, it's important that.
18:22And there's a fearlessness that can go with the association with you without the recklessness and the fact that you just said your legs were shaking. This is Nims Day, right? Legs shaking. You knew that that was a terrifying moment. Yeah. And it puts everyone in danger. Yeah. And the right decision is to go down. I mentioned the word success. Yes. What is Nimzdae's definition of success? Jesus, I have no clue at the moment. For someone that's achieved so much. You know how humbling that is. I mean, I love that. Yeah, I don't know. World records. All these accolades. I will figure out as I get old, I think.
18:57But yeah, at the moment. You can tell me over a drink later. We both know that any one time you could practically run up the mountain compared to someone you're taking up as a client you're climbing with. and you help get them up that mountain and there's something you're saying and you're looking with that self-awareness to help so what is it what is it you are saying what can you do when someone is physically fatiguing when someone is collapsing that you can get them through it i was on everest and i was at the south summit which is 8700 meters then there was a client at the balcony which is 8 ,450 meters.
19:34Just to put people into perspective, it normally takes up to maybe six hours to get from balcony to the South Summit. Okay, so I was at the South Summit and then the radio got in and this guy, his name is Dan, he's coming tomorrow by the way, so he said, Nims, you know, I'm maxed out buddy, you know, I cannot do this anymore, I'm going to turn around and you know my serpa is also like you know confident that I can't do it I'm going to turn around and I try to talk him on the radio bro you can do it you know you have the best team in the world I can literally if anything happens there's no one on this mountain we can literally carry you and take you down so you can do it on the radio tries again he said names no I cannot do it I said okay hang on there half an hour boom I run down the mountain got him in half an hour at the balcony okay give him the water so you can do it I'm coming here to get you so then we went up bam, bam, bam we start overtaking and we literally reached the summit pretty much two or three minutes behind the main group that's what I do what did you say?
20:49what did you say? I was with him I just said look you know you need to when people see it they need to believe in that leadership you know and many people don't believe that. A lot of people think that, oh, you know, because it's a mind, the mind plays a big role in this. Insecurities, fear of dying and all that. You need to give that confidence. And when people see that, of course, they're going to push. Because when I keep saying, when you think you're fully, only, you know, 40%. You have to push through that to find out. But you need to have the safety expect. Because some people might do that and when they don't have the right guides and right stuff, that's when they die.
21:28But that's why having the key subject matter expert or person who can not only talk, but can act on, can perform. You could be the biggest knowledge in the high altitude mountain, but that's nothing. You need to have both strength, knowledge, and everything. When you get into it, you must be so inspiring to be around. I have a question for you. Yeah. You've summited. You've been at the top of the world, literally. What is the best view? What is the best view? Oh, I think for me, if I remember the best view, I don't really have a best view. You know, I think, okay, I'll tell you this story. So, K2 winter.
22:08Yeah. So, we're not going to go into the details, but we stopped short before the summit. We got everybody together. and then we said, okay, now we're going to walk to the summit together, sharing the equal glory, equal success and equal happiness. And we walked together, right? And I remember, I feel the power of this energy where you cannot experience ever because everybody felt the same. Everybody had the same energy. There is no sadness, no bitterness that somebody has been the first. It was everybody getting the same credit. So that was the most happiest moment for me. You can feel the whole energy of the mountain, the guys, everything.
22:55And yeah, so I think that's what I can remember about the best summit. That was all about the camaraderie and the feeling rather than the view. I love that. When you, you've summited Everest 100 times. Yeah. First time you did it must have been unbelievable, eclectic. Yeah, I agree. Have you had that? Has it diluted over time? Or is there something special about each time you've done it? I have summited Everest nine times. 50 to 8000 meter summits. So every time other than the first, okay, the first summit, I think you don't even realize because you are so worried about, okay, I'm going to go there, take a picture and I need to be down for safety.
23:29Otherwise, I'm going to die. First is like that, you know, because every guide, every people on the mountain say that as soon as you eat into the summit, you have to go down and you don't have the experience. You don't have the true ability or sense of what your strength and weakness are. So I didn't really kind of know. But my second was when I kind of fixed the lines when the official fixing team gave up and this was the Everest expedition of the British Army Gurkha expedition. So this year the official team couldn't set the lines and the British Army expedition and we are the Gurkhas, you know, we are the best.
24:03And I didn't want to come to UK and they said, my friends saying, oh, you know, you couldn't even climb the mountain in your back garden, you know, stuff going off. And I was like, oh, you know, that's a reputational, you know, alarm. So when everybody gave up, I stood up and I said, okay, I'm going to fix the line. And that summit was beautiful because at this point I was very experienced. I had the knowledge and all. We fixed the lines not only for my team, but rest of the season's mountaineer. And it was a beautiful day. You know, everything was below. And, you know, to be able to enable the whole of the Gurkha expedition, to put the first serving soldier on the top of the wall.
24:42and with so much confidence, passion and strength, you know, oh, the view was amazing. You know, I remember it was so sunny, right? No wind, nothing, clear sky. You could see as far as your eye can see and it was amazing, yeah. I want to go to the part where your wife and you're having the conversation. And if you think about how much you just said there, there's the financing the house. Oh, yeah. There's a lot of elements. But there's the decision that you made to go and rescue someone else, which puts you in danger, that potentially takes you away from your wife and family. That also then reduces the chances of you achieving what you're doing, which is why you're doing.
25:26There's so much there. Take me to the moment where, because you're clearly a force for good with those values. but your wife's got to kind of almost agree and have a conversation with you that she's almost giving you almost permission to do this with the risks if you know what I mean. I want to know how that conversation happens. I think you know when you are in the war and when the bullets are flying around you don't ask your wife can I go and risk you so you just go and do it. And she knew who you were before she married you right? Yeah. But I just wanted to... We got married in a very young age and the fact that you know she saw me, how I trained to go and pass the selection for his special forces.
26:02And even I say today, you know, if people see my training every day, they will probably cry, they will probably bleed, you know. Even I know myself, you know, like, I cannot do that now. You know, I was waking up, you know, sometimes, okay, if I feel good, you know, the distance from my house to Chatham, which is military barracks, is 20 kilometers. When I feel good and I wake up at 4 a.m. And then I carry 75 to 80 pounds of load and I run to the camp from my house. Then I get to the camp because I was doing a kind of, you know, what we call it, a basic level of course. So, you know, you have to go and do some physical training before you go to the course.
26:51So I go there, I have a breakfast. then I do the the physical training part of the military mandate then the whole day because I was building an instructor finisher it's a very cool name but it's all in it's like plasterer you know so so whole day of plastering the wall taking down you know it's full labor work you know do that in the evening I don't carry the weight I leave the the weight at the barracks and I run back to my house that's another 20 kilometers okay then I have my food then I go to the gym I cycle on the cycling machine, you know, 65 kilometers every day because you need the strong legs.
27:29And then from there, I go to the swimming pool because I wanted to go to SBS. I need to be a strong swimmer. So I do, you call that front call? Yeah. So I do that 100 times nonstop. And sometimes it will be like 10 p.m. where the gym is closed, you know. And I train like that for six months, six days a week. and sometimes okay i i wake up at four but if i feel tired then i woke up at three because it's going to take longer and and i know tomorrow because i have to be there on time because it's a course if you rock up late the military gonna punish you so then sometimes i wake up even at one o 'clock sometimes it would take me double the time but i never said today you know my knees are hurting my my body is in painful i'm you know and then or i want to sleep more i never said oh, there is ice outside because it's slippery, it's cold, it's dark.
28:22I never said, I never made excuses. I committed every day. And that comes down to self-discipline and also a desire to represent the Gurkhas. Because at this point, no Gurkhas had ever made into SBS, special forces. So I was like, okay, if we are the best soldier in the planet, why we are not in the SBS? I need to do that. So my mindset was bigger than you again. Yeah, it was bigger than me. It was bigger than everything else. And one thing to highlight is my command, they didn't give me the time to train. Normally when you say you go into this kind of selection, they give you six months off. But probably I was questioning the authorities now and then.
29:08I'm a very straightforward person. And I used to say I'm here to serve, but not to be a servant. and then obviously some of the high command doesn't like that kind of thing to serve I can give my life like this this is me but I'm not here to kind of do servant kind of in a job so I think they didn't like that and then so I wasn't given any time off but you know I was entitled to by the you know but how all my guys who who tried and failed many times they all had you know six months off but i had to do during my military parade military time military working hours i had to do outside the the working hours you know so yeah no excuses no excuses what do you like with time off you know you you have you know just just going back to that relentless schedule then and you're still busy now when you know you're very much an entrepreneur coming in here with the challenges that come with that often can be quite lonely because you've got really interesting dynamic where you are a very natural leader, inspiring with that integrity and all the knowledge you've got.
30:10But you're also pioneering a lot of things, which comes back to NIMS making the decisions. And where I'm going with that is there's the business side of things, but also that element of like, you're not climbing a mountain right now. And on days like this, can you chill? Can NIMS sit and put his feet up and watch a film? Or are you thinking about the next thing and always working? I can watch the film, but I don't think I'm a chill, because my brain is always, is who I am, right? The biggest thing for people to understand is who you really are and accept that fact, okay? Look, yes, I think I'm now more entrepreneur than a world record-breaking climber, which I mean, I guide 11 months a year, but I respond to my team from 8 ,000 meters, you know, where people can make thousands of excuses, excuses, not really, where people can make thousands of excuses.
31:01is like oh you know i'm climbing i have got you know 30 people to lead you know or you can say we don't have internet at 8 000 meters and all that no you know i respond to my team even when i'm climbing you know i'm that person so i even tell to my team that if i can respond from 8 000 meters while i'm guiding while i'm leading the expeditions and all my track record is 99.9 percent success with the safety why you guys at the sea level where if you are cold you can turn the heating on if you're warm you can put the aircon on and you have all this stuff you press that button there's a there's a drinking water available everything is there and why why is the complaint but of course not everybody is in the mindset so of course i have founded um elite expert we guide uh people on all the 14 highest mountains seven summits south pole and north pole but the important point here to note is with us now we have taken more than 100 plus people on the summit of Everest but these people when they first came us they had never done anything they literally started with us either on Kilimanjaro so total novices they started with us on Kilimanjaro or Akan Kagawa with me and their journey started so within two years of their two months time within two years more than 100 people have submitted Everest with us So this is what we do.
32:28Yes. And we are the subject matter expert of this one. And we enable other people who have no idea or who even who doubt themselves. We enable them. And then sometimes it's very hard for me as a guide. People will be very slower. They cannot catch up in the same manners that I do. Sometimes it could be safety. But I have to dial down to their level to make them comfort. even if sometimes my ego could be hurt it could hurt me you know but I have to think you know so I have to go to their level and then bring them up then my it my kind of the biggest happiness is when boom they summit and they're with me at the base camp that's when I take the joy that's when I take the fright so so I did that and then of course the second important element is I launched the clothing brand which is which is really kind of you know focus on the the outdoor environment but also we do normal normal stuff as well but the key is outdoor extreme environment where your life matters the most we come with the clothing you know that where it has the functionality and safety so it's technical this is technical and and that is the core of the business but we of course in order to make the money you also have to do high street fashion and all that so we do that and in this you know that the nimstai store i'm involved from really scratch from the designing of this stuff to go getting out there testing in terms of functionality and performance so you'll see loads of stuff you know i'll be giving the feedback you know while i'm going to cam 1 or cam 2 or cam 3 always and then now when i summit it doesn't excite me anymore because i have done you know 50 to 8000 meter summit so i think i get more excitement when i design something and everything that's been tested effort and i got my final sample oh yes guys can And that's my excitement.
34:22Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now, I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited premium wireless for$15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made$15 bills. But it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. Initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. I'm not giving up. I am selling the building.
34:59The final season of FX is the bear. The restaurant is flooded. Everything's either going to be okay. No, or not. We are outgunned and we are outmanned, but we have each other. FX is the bear. The final season. All episodes now streaming on Disney+. That's also the entrepreneurial bit I love. I was going to ask you, you've summited Everest, which is a lot of people's, maybe everybody's kind of ultimate, if you like, in contests. If you kept looking at what are the ultimate challenges, climbing Mount Everest is almost a clear. So losing that dopamine hit from doing it, but having the reasons to build around it.
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35:40And actually, I guess you'd almost call that influencer marketing. Ahead of your time, you're climbing mountains and you're in your own. And also, if I have so much passion for building something, why not? Because it's already in my DNA. So if I'm helping other brands, why don't I build my own brand? And the other thing as well is now I'm connecting all the business that I have established. So I love skydiving. I used to jump when I was in Special Forces and all that. So what we created with Skydive Nimzla is if people want to jump on Everest with the view of Everest, I'm a Dublin and all that, or jump anywhere in the world, Seven Wonders of the World, antarctic or whatever we have the team that they do it and now of course with that with the expeditions everything and all that i we i managed to bought the helicopter company because for many reasons okay one to to be self-sustained in order to to do the business and and the reason why i had to buy the helicopter was in 2021 we had a very high number of bvi peace clan really high-end and a lot of competitors got very jealous about it and then I found out that they held a special meeting at the base camp with all these owners and then of course the helicopter company they that and then they said okay let's not give any helicopter flights to NIMS and how he can prove how he can you know run the the VIP business when I found out that it really hurt me so So then I say, you know what, I'm going to buy the helicopter company.
37:13That's one part of it. But also second part is I was involved in one of the critical rescue of, you know, Jim when his wife died on Manaslu. And the other company where the helicopter company were almost trying to charge him 10 times the price. And I said in the face, guys, if you try to make the money out of this person whose wife has just died, stand by. so people don't like that when I'm so vocal about things and and I wanted to do things by the book you know no fake rescues under my heli company not neither in elite expert so when people climb with elite expert like for I will give you a recent example I had somebody else on Manaslu they summited they're coming down of course you are tired and all that I know they can come down to base camp walk but they say Nims can I can I call the helicopter from camp 3 for me whoa it's a good business because i send my helicopter i make four times the money you know for my business but ethically no as an expert leader i want everybody to earn their respect so i i was on the read i said look you know if you want to bring the helicopter it has to be rescued and unless you tell me that you need a rescue my guide is there you are just tired i can't allow that okay and then we will do a check in the hospital the hospital needs to be clearing and all that and then I'm not going to sign your summit certificate because you didn't went to the summit and come down to base camp.
38:41A summit is you walk from the base camp, you summit and you come down to base camp, not like helicopter this and that. So I have the evidence of this. I flimmed all this. But then when I kind of help them to make the decision, but when they come to base camp walking, then they take self-pride. Oh, yes, I could do this. I didn't cheat and all that. But of course, I'm sacrificing my business. So I do everything ethically. So now, and of course, the biggest part now here is the Nimslai Foundation, which is, I think, this is the biggest thing and the most important thing. And this is who really I am.
39:19Yes, of course, I have achieved all the world records. I don't know, 16 plus Guinness world records, all this business and all that. This proves your legacy, doesn't it? But yeah, who I am, you know, I'm a giver. So for example, in 2012, it's my first trip to Evesbyskamp. So I had a porter with us and all that and we went to this village called Lobuche. So you trek from Feruche six, seven hours. You go to Lobuche and my porter were not allowed to stay there. Okay. They were not allowed to stay in the lodge because of who they are and all that. and for me two things and they didn't have a designated porterhouse or something to sleep so for me this is a humiliation because you come from maybe a poor background or this and that and all that so these guys had to go down to to this village we came from and they have to come next day to pick up the load and go to the final village and that really hurt me so again going back into into my basics way of thinking when i joined the garqas you know we started with 500 pounds per month you know and then when i after the training what 1000 whatever it is by the time i finished the training and all that but when i go in the war that 1000 pound or whatever doesn't justify me to give my life like that and fight for in the uk no but what it gives me that is the the respect the Gurkhas are getting our legacy right you could be probably the less owner you could be the person who owns who owns who earns so the English who earns very less in this world but you need respect right so that really taught me so back now for what after being successful and all that we just launched the project in Lobuche you know which is above half a million dollar project so now they have this place where you know they would be respected they have place to sleep you know you know so so i'm doing that things and that's only one part of that you've affected a lot of change yeah and then the second thing is you know i i'm not a billionaire or you know in that level i can change the world and but i can change what i can change so in terms of the the big mountain and environment environment like look i'm an outdoor person so i love outdoor right so um the foundation also does uh things like you know big mountain cleanup project where people if people are living the rubbish and all that we clean that up and it's a very expensive project because you still have to pay the serpas the team and all that so it's super expensive but we do that because it's not only about cleaning the mountain but it's also about you know there's about 500 million life that depends upon the mountains, the glaciers and all that.
42:14It's a bigger impact. So, of course, we've been doing multiple big mountain cleanup projects through the foundation. And the other one is, as I said in my intro, I come from the military background and it's a huge part of who I am. Unfortunately, all those friends that serve in the military, when they go in the operations or whatever you know they don't come back home the same they left home you know so i believe that a lot of this post-trauma stress and everything what they're going through can be recovered through adventure so the foundation help the people to come on the expeditions and be part of this adventure so community as well right yeah to to to kind of help them recover to reconnect and all that so the foundation does that as well and then the other angle is we also help in education um so if if the serpa died on average and and their kids are there and and and no one of course their father died they are the great owner of the family and they don't know who's going to pay for this school and stuff so we pay until they get you know up to year 12 is it like you know or high school you know so we send obviously we pay we cover all the expenses for them to do that and the other one which we go into this other one is we also do the disaster relief so when there was a big flood in in Pakistan the whole of the mountain community we support more than 10 ,000 people and there was an old couple and I always think this you know so they had no children and their house was you know taken away the blind people as well they were blind and and and I managed to build the house for them you And they always said, when I go to Pakistan, because I always go everywhere, they say, can we meet Nims and all that?
44:05But I'm on a very tidy schedule, leading expedition and all that. I don't need to meet them and get what I just say, you know, they can just bless me from far away and I can do that. So it has got so many angles. So when we went through the charity commission, they said, each of this angle is a charity itself. Who is this guy coming with all these four angles? Like, can he even handle it? No, no. And then they said, oh, it's Nims Dair Parza. and we cannot say it's impossible to this guy so managed to register with all those pillars so yeah oh your legacy i mean i mean the fact that you're sitting there bright-eyed and still about to climb everest again this year and so much left in the tank the amount you've already done this i mean it's it's it's just a huge you know appreciation from for me just to learn from you in this environment let alone the amount of people that already know this and are benefiting from what you're doing.
44:56You brought up ego earlier, you brought up respect and I want to frame that where it's very clear how important that is in terms of respect, honour and how you manage your own ego. You just, because of this environment you just told me what you do but actually there's a very humble side to you where actually you'd much rather just do what you do and not necessarily be seen. I want to know how those hundred summits that you've done where people that have come to you want to climb, there's going to be an ego there. there's going to be I want to climb over this and how do you manage that because you've got incredible self-awareness you have got a gut feeling but there are people that will potentially come to you and you wouldn't necessarily want to climb with them before I forget before I forget how do I manage them so people when they come in you could have the biggest ego in the earth but the nature will put into perspective without doing anything the humbling yeah the nature is the biggest thing here you know you could be who am i in this bigger scheme of things i'm no one i'm even tiny dust you know i'm no one so if i don't know how to see that happen how to respect the nature you've done and and you know you could be like i have got people who are like triathlon champion you know the gym all the but they cannot even make it because of this kind of enough problem so no one can beat the nature no one it doesn't matter who you are you bring the biggest force no nobody so the first thing is you start understanding that you know but we as a human we have got enough intelligence to work around it you know and that's the very key if you if you don't know how to adapt and if you don't know how to work around it and if you if your ego gets ahead of it you then you don't exist best thing that's ever happened to you financially Go.
46:40Easy. Sold my car on Carvana. Amazing offer. Really? I hit 200 on the scratcher. Did the scratcher come to your house and hand you a check? No. How many scratchers did you hit to get that? I hit a button on Carvana.com once. Okay, that's fair. It's like the lottery, except you always win. Not like the lottery at all, actually. Exactly. Inexplicably good. Offers worth bragging about. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply. Because you have clearly got a mixture of relentless energy, but patience as well. Have you been really tested up the mountain with someone where you've really had to manage that?
47:19Yeah, many times. And for me, it doesn't matter what individual's background is. Sometimes I have billionaires and I have millionaires and very successful people who come and come to me. And for me, my promise to them from day one is I will take you to the top. I can write with everybody else pretty much. I cannot say 100%, but 95 % plus, maybe 99 % I can go. I can take that. And if you sign up with me, you know, if you don't submit with me, I can give you full refund. I can say that. I'm 100%. Because that's my thing. I know my game. So for me, I have to, of course, know that individual. And no one is that stupid when it comes to life.
48:01That's the self-awareness piece. You need to make a judgment that that person is capable of it. Yeah. And then when they come in, and of course they want to submit whatever the ego and all that, but I have to make them understand what it takes. And of course, when you are in that environment, they do listen to you. They will not listen to it until that point where they think they're power. But as soon as the elements and all that come in, then it makes you humble straight away. It's a level playing for this. And then you kind of listen to a strong leadership who has got a track record of all these things and who is performing when everybody cannot even move.
48:42And that gives you the leverage. So, yeah. Sometimes, you know, of course, I have to, the word shout. So people take it. For me, Mr. Nice doesn't save life. you know for that moment if i have to be a bit you know i have to shout or if i have to be a horrible person i will say but the you know what is important to you is is me making things and making you listen or making good or you just die because of your thing which is important you know so mountain is not about being super nice and just because he has paid you know hundreds of thousands all it's about being factual being factual and and when people don't know the fact then that's where the problem is is there but you know at the end of the day i have to make it happen so i would know what is required in order to enable that you know person so yeah it's no i find it fascinating because you will be dealing with as you say successful big egos but there's such what what a leveler when you're in a position where literally if they don't listen to you it could affect your life let alone very much all right yeah that must be a very humbling experience for someone that's achieved a lot of success and they need to have their own self-awareness to listen and you've got to gauge that quickly.
49:53That one. And also there will be people who would massively, massively don't believe in themselves. They're there, but they say, oh, no, I cannot do this. Jesus, how... A lot of them, actually I get probably more of them than people who believe, you know. So then how you make them believe? Do you see that developing as you go up the mountain? Oh, yeah, of course. But my point being, I guess to start with the confidence, does that get whittled away with the lack of oxygen, with the fatigue and so on? And then that brings out the natural leadership and strength training. So what I'm saying is that when people are literally struggling to walk, I'm this guy, I can run off these things, all this.
50:36So yeah, and my mind works from the special forces mentality, so I plan everything meticulously, the thing that even people haven't thought about it. For example, I'll give you this one. I was on this A mountain, where I had a very high net worth individual okay the mountain this season was super super dry so there's like so many rock fall and then normally what they do is they put the clients on the on the on the device and they get down to the anchor okay but sometimes you cannot even fit the device because the rope is so tight because it has been pulled down so you cannot fit your device so what you do is you just put your safety and then you kind of hold the rope and you go down so i'm already thinking ahead it's like that slope blue ice you cannot even put your cramp on if i go all the way down to anchor this person cannot hold so i had to think ahead so i stopped in the middle already pre-empting that this person cannot hold there so when when this person slipped I have to be in the position to hold before the speed is gained.
51:48Because if you gain that speed with that velocity, you're going to die. So obviously I went and I stopped at the middle. Even, you know, my calf is burning. And I'm waiting to see if my anticipation is correct or not. Then, yeah, client couldn't hold off. He started gaining the speed, everything. And I'm just like, now what I do? I need to mask the force. I'm bang, hold. and you know like I had blood everywhere and everything was severing and she started crying and you know panic attack I said hey look it's all good but now this is not the time to think about what's happening it's time to just get down because the rock is coming every second when we survive this we could be hit by rock and we could be dead you know but you need to think way ahead this is the nobody says this kind of you know things because you know sometimes people disappear from mountains and all that because you need to be that person with that level of experience with that level of anticipate to look many things in detail like this and there's no one like that no i mean it's your self-awareness it's almost like a match for the strategy the chess the chess game of this this is going to happen because of experience you cannot train people like this you cannot train unless they serve in the gharcars then they go into special forces do 10 years and they have been planning and learning and all that.
53:08No, you cannot just, you know, you can't train the IFMJ guy or anybody, nobody you can train like this. I mean, I've been telling countless people before we sit down together that I'm going to be talking to you and the resilience piece, the mindset, that you probably get talked to a lot about that leadership, that kind of unlimited beliefs. But I want to humanize the fact that when we walked in here and we were talking, you were like, you know, that's kind of 10 % of what I, and you can turn it on in the mountain. God, you're probably, there's no one that can touch you in that moment. But real life, that again, mindset, resilience and so on, that whole sort of humanizing the fact that there is an emotional nymph.
53:46Of course. There is someone that has challenges and struggles. Talk to me more about that. Where is that almost the sort of the bit where you almost need help with, if you like, and almost sort of vulnerability? I think the biggest is, look, at the age of 18, I joined the Girl Class. I have been taught how to be honest, integrity, honesty, and how to fight. And that even went into next level when I was in special forces. You trust people. And I think I trust people so much. And I've been let down in so many ways.
54:20Also, what people need to see is when you go in the war, I'll give you an example. When you go in the war, you cannot just be, I'm going to be the nicest person here. You can't. You have to go with the full mindset of a warrior to win the battle. You cannot say, oh, this guy has a full of ego on that one. You can't. So people need to be first able to identify what that is. When I go on the mountain and I'm leading the packs and the wind is coming speed, I need to match that environment, everything there. Right? And if I just say, okay, I'm this nice guy here. I just want to line very soft. you're going to be killed you're going to be destroyed there is a time to be a very nice person and there's time to be like where you believe that you are the god of all you are the number one because that's the only way you achieve that goal if you go into the war and just you start okay you know i'm i'm going to be the nicest i'm going to be like this i'm humble and how are you going to win the war i'm going to say i am the best soldier in this planet i'm going to out on everybody else.
55:26I'm going to be faster, quicker than everybody. That's the mindset you need to win that war. People need to understand this. And that's transferable. One of the things I was going to ask you is... You need to adapt. Which also means that you've already said there's no one else like you. That background of training, mindset that you've taken into what other people that climb mountains do sets you so apart because you need to turn that on. There's no one that... It's a different level. It's a different level. And the other way, you know, what I say is what I have realized is God knows, you know, and I never knew that when it comes to money, people can be very evil.
56:07Okay. I, cause I, I was never that rich. I never made that line. I never caught that threshold. So I know. So when I, one person came from nowhere, from literally humbling family, no business background, my father never did business. my mother never did business my brothers never did business so i came from literally nowhere and i changed the whole guiding industry yeah not only that i came into this clothing industry where i'm the face of it and what i say i have the integrity i'm not just saying i'm i'm making the best product just in words i'm not a word man you know i'm an action man i believe in my integrity so i came with the product you know which could you know i have a faith it will go into billion dollar industry because it's me.
56:46Then I came with the skydiving idea where people are not doing anything. You know, there was only one company who used to do that before. Now we came in. We managed to be more successful because I jumped myself. Who wants to jump with someone who's doing the business from Kathmandu or UK or USA? They would jump with me, no? So that's my USP. So people then offset that business person. I bought the helicopter company. So then people say, oh, now he's going to take over the world and we need to get him down. So they even told this ganged up to bring one person down. They tried to break my record.
57:21They even sent the serpas to break my record. No, nothing in terms of who I am, I am who I am. And then, you know, they came with this disgusting stuff to bring me down. In a way, I don't want to talk about it. I think people probably know. People who know, they know. But this is the thing, you know. Okay, let me get into that. One article come on, let's say, Western media. people didn't even interview the witnesses who were there 13 eyewitnesses i have no court cases i have no legal thing but that media can literally take you down that right and for the last two years i have been through so much to fight that to overcome this and all that and when you see all this and you know the players that were involved behind this when you because everything you're going to find out some of them have already said sorry to me but sorry doesn't bring anything back you know damage is done if it was not me people have probably suicide considering all you do and all you've done it's heartbreaking to hear that do you know the other thing is crazy crazy who i'm i'm i'm not a person you know what i don't care about the money i say but i care about the success if i do something it's not about the money i want that thing to be successful that's what i'm driven by you need to understand that people don't don't understand that and that of course that brings them money but money is secondary you know i don't fool people I don't need scam people to make money.
58:43People need to understand the core values and principles. And I think with everything now, it even becomes more apparent. When it comes to money, people are happy to kill, forget everything. So yeah, here we are. Guys, remember, every day to everyone who is watching this show, you wake up and you remember that one day you will die. You will not be doing any evil things. One day you all have to die. So live in peace, guys. It goes back to values and integrity and bringing up peace, your faith. So there's this immense strength that goes with NIMS. And what's interesting is if I'd asked you what's the hardest thing you've done up the mountain, and there's probably all sorts of things that you could bring up that have been close to death, but the pain that you showed then, talking about the mistreatment.
59:30No, but you see where I'm going with that? Yeah. Your face then was pained to have to explain that people have wronged you, people have tried to bring you down. If I brought up something that was a proper challenge on the mountain, it would have been a very different face. It would have been nearly killing you. But you didn't die, but it was a different face. Do you get where I'm going with that? Where does your faith sit with this? Your team just added its 67th AI tool and also your 67th security blind spot. The good news? The Vanta agent works like a GRC engineer in the background, finding every app your team uses, scoring the risk, and drafting fixes for you.
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1:00:48I think I just have to do what is right in all honesty. and you know at the last breath of your life you know that okay you know I have always been true to myself and I've been honest and I think you can you can die in peace it's very important you know when you are taking few last breaths and and you go into back and all and you know it's important for me it's important you know and you've got to be who you are and I was brought up by by my mother and my mother is probably the strongest woman that I probably ever know in this planet and yes she was very smart she didn't go to school she didn't go to any anywhere else but part of who I am today is is her credit you know yeah so thank you for sharing we just want to be nice you know you just want to be nice to people but also you don't want to be weak because if you are nice people and you're weak the evil will destroy you where are you with the vulnerability that goes with, this is a very vulnerable conversation.
1:01:51I'm a relatively strong man, strong mindset, let alone probably that no one's stronger than you physically. But that vulnerability piece, the fact that you've shown so much willing to try and help people with PTSD, to try and help your people in any number of different ways, the way you articulated the fact that the Sherpas in 2012 had nowhere to stay, I'm going to go and do something about that. this this part of NIMS is inspiring do you get that do you get that feeling enough from people like myself and others alongside the fact that you've obviously had to battle people that tried to bring you down because I hope you really feel you are an absolute inspiration I think there are so many good people in this world there are and without the existence of them I would not have been able to come through all these things and I wouldn't be where I am without their support so So that is a fact and I acknowledge this.
1:02:49Now the other thing, I think in everything that I do and everything that has evolved me throughout this, the whole period of my life is, you know, what do you really want to achieve in life? What is your mission statement? And I'm going to tell you what my mission statement is. My mission statement is to be fair on every people in this world. It doesn't matter where you come from. Either you are white, black, Asian, whatever it is. Because I know how it is to be on the other side of the road. Which is empathy. Everyone is looking, you know, this interview and all that. Yeah, Nims says, don't think I'm against Western and all that.
1:03:33I'm never against them. Because these are the people who brought me to this place. But I'm against racism. I'm against unfairness. Because for me, every decision I have made in my life is I have always put myself in that person's shoes. I've always done that, including the rescues to everything and all that. So it doesn't matter. You all are human. We all are human. So why you want to be unfair to people depending upon how they look, where they come from, their gender and all that. So my statement, my misanestatement is to be fair on the people. that is my mission statement yeah there's a word for that it for me which is empathy you know why would you do something that to someone that you wouldn't want happening to yourself and there's not many people that live like that and i love in the mountain yeah i can never say which country you come from are you good looking are you ugly are you handsome are you strong or you deserve no it's pretty much neutral yeah to everybody you know yeah so i i want to be neutral to people doesn't matter you know i i like them i don't like them or where they came from and all that.
1:04:41And it's very hard to do sometimes. And I really want to do that. I want to be fair on people. It doesn't matter where they came from. So I want to bring our conversation before we close to what you're doing next for the beginning of 2026. Okay. So I had a conversation last night with a friend of yours, Ant Middleton. Yeah. Yeah. He tells me he's climbing Everest. Yeah. Yeah. So you're going to, you're just, you're still on a mission to keep going, but just tell me what's ahead of you and what have you not done that you still want to achieve? So I announced the project, Hat-Trick project, which is to climb all the 14 ,000 meter peaks three times and all the seven summits.
1:05:18That's like the highest mountain of its continent three times with the aim to raise 1 ,100 ,000 something. It's the height of all those. Okay. Yeah, clever. So I have got only two mountains left to complete that. So I have got Jitu and Choyu. So only those two mountains left. And I'm nowhere near to achieve my goal in terms of fundraising for the foundation that has been doing amazing stuff. So that is my challenge. But breaking down, yes, of course, I'm leading the expedition from Everest Northside, where Annie and his son are also joining me. And before that, you know, I'm guiding on various mountains, and I guide 11 months a year.
1:06:03but hopefully towards the end of this year I might have something big to announce but we see you know how we can pull through that. Is there a challenge that NIMS would come up with that would be seen as audacious but that you know you could do? Because the 14 peaks was a challenge that you broke it was a world record. Yeah. But you live in a world where you kind of create your own... Yeah, so I, you know, I kind of, well, I led the first winter lesson of K2 and it is amazing. You know, we, so we are making the film about it, about the first winter lesson of K2 where the 10 Nepalese summited together and all.
1:06:40So anyway, that's one. But the second thing is, I'm not sure, maybe I announced my final retirement project in terms of my own professional mountaining career. I'm going to be guiding because I love helping people to achieve their goal. This is what you give to the kick. Someone who I have there, they don't even believe in themselves. They're like, oh, I can't. Then I get in there and I kind of train them physically, mentally, psychologically, all that. And then when they achieve that, they are surprised because of themselves. But then, of course, I was part of their journey. This is what it gets me.
1:07:12So I will continue guiding. But other than that, I want to be successful in the business. now because I have started so many business so I need to I need to go full on well I'd love to help you with that you made time to come and talk with me today I had the pleasure of seeing you do a talk tomorrow so I can't wait for that Limbs you are you're a role model that MP piece that that vulnerability is strength is so inspiring to be around so just massive thank you thank you Love to see you.
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From the publisher
Some people change the world through what they achieve.
The rarest people change it through what they help the rest of us believe we can achieve.
When I sat down with Nims Dai earlier this year, I never imagined it would be the last time we would film together.
We stayed in touch afterwards and had already planned to film again in January 2027.
Long before we met, through the globally acclaimed Netflix documentary 14 Peaks, Nims had already reached millions of people far beyond the mountaineering community, changing the way they thought about what was possible.
Then I met the man behind the achievements.
Grounded. Generous. Purpose-driven.
At one point he said something that has stayed with me ever since:
“The purpose is bigger than me.”
He wasn’t talking about climbing mountains.
He was talking about the people he wanted to inspire, the lives he wanted to change, and the work he was building through the Nimsdai Foundation to create opportunities for others long after the records had been broken.
That’s the legacy he leaves behind.
Not just the summits he reached…
But the belief he gave millions of people that impossible isn’t always a fact. Sometimes it’s simply a limit waiting to be questioned.
Rest in peace, Nims.
My thoughts are with Nims’ family, and with the families and loved ones of everyone who lost their lives on Broad Peak.
