It took the previous world record holder nearly eight years to accomplish the feat, but Nirmal "Nims" Purja did it in just over six months.
Nothing could stop Nirmal "Nims" Purja from reaching the world's 14 highest peaks: not a dizzying lack of oxygen, not blinding blizzards and not terrifying drops.
Purja, 36, an ex-British soldier who was born in Nepal, sold his house and sacrificed his job, his pension and time with his family to make his dream a reality, Reuters reported. His expedition was known as Bremont Project Possible, and he documented his accomplishments along the way on social media.
There are 14 mountains on Earth higher than 8,000 meters (26,247 feet), and all are located in the Himalayas. Purja made it to the top of all of them.
Purja began his mission by climbing Mount Annapurna in Nepal on April 23. He then climbed Mount Dhaulagiri on May 12, Mount Kanchenjunga on May 15, Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse on May 22 and Mount Makalu on May 24.
In Pakistan, Purja climbed Mount Nanga Parbat on July 3, Mount Gasherbrum 1 on July 15, Mount Gasherbrum 2 on July 18, Mount K2 on July 24 and Mount Broad Peak on July 26.
In China, Purja climbed Mount Cho Oyu on Sept. 23, returned to Nepal to scale Mount Manaslu on Sept. 27, and then traveled back to China to climb Mount Shishapangma on Oct. 29.
And he did it in six months and six days, beating the previous world record by seven years, five months and eight days, according to Project Possible.
In addition to a panoramic view from the top of the world, Purja's incredible expedition offered him insight into how our planet is being impacted by climate change, and what we must do to address it, he said.
"I've seen the changes and I think we as human beings have to do something about it because the Earth, the planet, is our home," Purja told Reuters. "It is a very serious matter of concern."
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