Beyond Possible: One Man, 14 Peaks, and the Mountaineering Achievement of a Lifetime
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- Create Date：2022-03-31 06:16:35
- Update Date：2025-09-24
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- Author：Nimsdai Purja
- ISBN：142622253X
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Summary
Nepali climber Nims Purja is the first man ever to summit all fourteen of the world’s 8000 meter “Death Zone” peaks。 He did so in less than seven months， breaking the previous record of seven years。 In this spellbinding memoir ， tied to the acclaimed Netflix documentary “14 Peaks，” Purja reveals the man behind the climbs， explaining how his early life in Nepal and training as a soldier in Britain’s elite Gurkha and SBS units allowed him to achieve a mountaineering mission few thought was attainable。 Purja shows how leadership， integrity， and collaboration drive world’s greatest climbing feats， including the first-ever winter ascent of Pakistan’s K2-another mountaineering milestone that he achieved in January 2021。 Both profound and inspiring， this intimate book reveals what it takes to go miles beyond the possible。
Reviews
Tania
，
This book is for people who want to get an insight into the mind of the man who achieved a seemingly impossible task。 When you read it you have to know and understand that this are his own words。 To some， like in other reviews， the writing may be seen pedestrian but， we have to remember that he didn't use a ghost writer nor collaborated with a professional writer。 If you're expecting a piece of literary art， this is not the book for you。The story portrait his own experience and it is not someone This book is for people who want to get an insight into the mind of the man who achieved a seemingly impossible task。 When you read it you have to know and understand that this are his own words。 To some， like in other reviews， the writing may be seen pedestrian but， we have to remember that he didn't use a ghost writer nor collaborated with a professional writer。 If you're expecting a piece of literary art， this is not the book for you。The story portrait his own experience and it is not someone else's。 Like in his expeditions， Nims does not deviate from the task at hand， telling his own story。 If you read about an incident and you want to know about the afterwards， just research it。 As I said before， this is a window into Nims' mind and train of thought。 And that's what you will get。 Remember， to achieve something like he and his team did， you have to have a certain frame of mind which could be perceived as arrogant and self-centered。 But do not be discourage by other reviews， it is a great story。 Although， it is a little slow in the beginning， as he explains his background， which is important to understand his drive。 But after the first few chapters the story get more steam and goes quite fast。 I loved his story and the honesty in his writing。 。。。more
Bruce Perry
，
Nimsdai pulled off an astounding accomplishment with his team of fellow Nepalese climbers: summiting all 14 8，000 meter （26247 and above ft。） Himalayan peaks in less than 7 months。 This brutal gauntlet of 2019 expeditions， including Everest， K2， Annapurna， and Broad Peak， crushed the previous record of about 7 years。 Generations of serious climbers have always held the Nepal mountaineers in high regard， yet Nimdai's mind-blowing achievement has more than set the record straight; the climbers tha Nimsdai pulled off an astounding accomplishment with his team of fellow Nepalese climbers: summiting all 14 8，000 meter （26247 and above ft。） Himalayan peaks in less than 7 months。 This brutal gauntlet of 2019 expeditions， including Everest， K2， Annapurna， and Broad Peak， crushed the previous record of about 7 years。 Generations of serious climbers have always held the Nepal mountaineers in high regard， yet Nimdai's mind-blowing achievement has more than set the record straight; the climbers that grow up in the shadows of the world's tallest peaks often rank among its most intrepid mountaineers。 His "nothing is impossible" credo has inspired thousands of mountain lovers， helping propel Nimsdai to regular appearances on the speaking circuit and as the leader of a new high-mountain guiding service。Some of the reports on the 14 summit climbs， for the sake of brevity， come across as almost breezy。 A separate book could have been written， and often is， for each one of these climbs。 However， Nimsdai had a lot of ground to cover in this outdoors-adventure biography。 The earlier chapters delve into the author's experiences with the British Special Forces and Gurkhas， an anvil that helped foster the tenacity and grit required to summit the likes of K2 with shocking efficiency and speed。Some of the most compelling passages involve the spontaneous rescues he initiated such as on Everest， where exhausted teams driven by "summit fever" have often ignored other climbers in peril。 Another of the author's credos comes to the fore; "Leave no one behind。" 。。。more
Kat
，
Amazing effort by Nims。 I will need to go and rewatch the Netflix film now as the book was （understandably） much more detailed about what he was actually thinking during these 14 incredible ascents。 I got a bit irked （not sure why） by the repeated use of the term 'have the minerals' instead of 'had the balls'。 Amazing effort by Nims。 I will need to go and rewatch the Netflix film now as the book was （understandably） much more detailed about what he was actually thinking during these 14 incredible ascents。 I got a bit irked （not sure why） by the repeated use of the term 'have the minerals' instead of 'had the balls'。 。。。more
Biku Ghosh
，
Breathtaking and inspirational。 Being an average mountaineer myself in my younger days， I can truly appreciate how he tackled serious adversity and dangers on his epic adventure as if he was just taking on a ordinary challenge。 Looking forward to see the film。
Zara
，
Inspiring。 Whenever I feel challenged or whenever I feel like I can’t accomplish something I think of Nims。 He’s not a writer in fact it’s his first book。 To me that book gave only positivity though。
Chris Rands
，
Climbing all 14 8K peaks in less than a year was not a 'holly grail' in mountaineering because no-one really considered it before Nims did it！ While some climbing purists have criticised his use of Oxygen， fixed ropes， and helicopter rides between base camps， I believe this is unfair。 If someone else climbs all these peaks rapidly using another 'purer' alpine style， this will be a different world record， and great achievement， but it does not detract from what Nims achieved。 After a slow start， Climbing all 14 8K peaks in less than a year was not a 'holly grail' in mountaineering because no-one really considered it before Nims did it！ While some climbing purists have criticised his use of Oxygen， fixed ropes， and helicopter rides between base camps， I believe this is unfair。 If someone else climbs all these peaks rapidly using another 'purer' alpine style， this will be a different world record， and great achievement， but it does not detract from what Nims achieved。 After a slow start， the book documents all this well， and is gripping in the 2nd half as the mission really kicks off and inevitable drama including several high altitude rescues。 One question I have is how much of the book Nims wrote compared to his ghostwriter。 Also， the traditional Mountaineer writes in an understated style， but this is not the case for Nims， who is not modest about his strength and achievements。 While this might turn some readers off， it may be be partly cultural （Nims is a military man and guide not a hippy climber or alpinist）- plus， Nims still shows vulnerability and fear， especially in the latter parts of the book。 Anyway， congrats to Nims and his team for a great achievement and for shining the light on the Nepalese climbing community and Sherpa！ 。。。more
Рени Банкова
，
Книгата разказва за пътя и за силата на мечтите， които си намират пътя。 За това， че всичко е възможно， когато действаш отвъд ограниченията си。 И с много， много труд。 "Можеш да азлъжеш всички， но не и себе си"。。 Книгата разказва за пътя и за силата на мечтите， които си намират пътя。 За това， че всичко е възможно， когато действаш отвъд ограниченията си。 И с много， много труд。 "Можеш да азлъжеш всички， но не и себе си"。。 。。。more
Natasha
，
I love books written by adventurers， and this has continued the love。 I would read so many pages daily because I wanted to know how Nims escaped his precarious situations。 I would like to summit a mountain one day in my life， but I definitely don't want to do what Nims has done。 I do like his positive outlook， and how he used it in crisis。 However， I also loved his flex about his Navy-Seal-on-steroids military experience。 This book also gave me hope because I want to do a thru-hike one day， but I love books written by adventurers， and this has continued the love。 I would read so many pages daily because I wanted to know how Nims escaped his precarious situations。 I would like to summit a mountain one day in my life， but I definitely don't want to do what Nims has done。 I do like his positive outlook， and how he used it in crisis。 However， I also loved his flex about his Navy-Seal-on-steroids military experience。 This book also gave me hope because I want to do a thru-hike one day， but I worry about being "too old。" Nims shows that if you take care oif yourself physically and mentally， and do the appropriate training， you can achieve your adventure goals。 。。。more
Ivana The
，
I am in awe of Nims' mountaineering achievements。 14 peaks and then winter accent to K2， what Nims has accomplished is amazing。 His actions speak louder than words。 Especially when writing is this rushed and mediocre。 I wonder if that was the intention of the ghostwriter？I am sure Nims is superior in determination， physiology， and preparedness， compared to most humans in this game。 Still， throughout the book， I minded being exposed to his lack of modesty and toxic “Work hard， play hard” approach I am in awe of Nims' mountaineering achievements。 14 peaks and then winter accent to K2， what Nims has accomplished is amazing。 His actions speak louder than words。 Especially when writing is this rushed and mediocre。 I wonder if that was the intention of the ghostwriter？I am sure Nims is superior in determination， physiology， and preparedness， compared to most humans in this game。 Still， throughout the book， I minded being exposed to his lack of modesty and toxic “Work hard， play hard” approach。 I feel that movie better captures his playful side and makes him seem more likable。Book paid a little bit of attention to environmental issues such as global warming and health hazard from human waste left by expeditions。 It also did a small bit to raise the well-deserved visibility of Sherpa climbers。 As these were supposedly goals of the entire project， I expect a lot more space should have been dedicated to them。The cruel and crazy world of high-altitude mountaineering is captured very well。 Up there on the mountain， it is every person for themselves。Nims' and Suchi's relationship struck me as superficial and distant。 Sure， this is not a love story and Nims deserves his 5 minutes of glory。 It is just so off-putting， how irrelevant she seems to him。I wish more closure was given for the people who were or weren't saved on the mountain， for some of them it is not clear what happened after the evacuation attempt。 。。。more
Chanderlekha Nayar
，
Ofcourse， a lot of self bracing。 But why not？ He did what seemed impossible to everyone on the planet。 It’s inspiring in many ways， but most of all， this story emphasized on self belief。 I enjoyed reading every single word of the book。
Chaz
，
Possibly the worst autobiography ever written by someone so interesting and exciting。 The book was unusually repetitive and unfocused， and Nims comes across as a vainglorious macho meathead far too often。 Maybe a stronger editor could have redirected all this great raw material and cut out some of the egregious narcissism。 Or at least encouraged Nims to build up more of the setting and other characters involved。 Instead it's just page after page of "The military taught me to never give up"。 Real Possibly the worst autobiography ever written by someone so interesting and exciting。 The book was unusually repetitive and unfocused， and Nims comes across as a vainglorious macho meathead far too often。 Maybe a stronger editor could have redirected all this great raw material and cut out some of the egregious narcissism。 Or at least encouraged Nims to build up more of the setting and other characters involved。 Instead it's just page after page of "The military taught me to never give up"。 Really unfortunate because he is doing such awesome things in the climbing world， and this could/should have been an incredible book。 Instead， for the most part I found it an insufferable slog。 I'd say skip the book and watch the Netflix doc instead。 。。。more
Prasad Kris
，
Nirmal Purja is 100% right when he says that the herculean task completed by him hasn't got the attention or recognition to the level of western climbers！Have completed several books on climbing and this statement is so very true since death of a prominent western climber would have generated more traction in the media。The efforts by him and his team are IMPOSSIBLE to comprehend sitting in our home and by becoming a keyboard warrior。 What they achieved has pushed the limits beyond imagination！Pe Nirmal Purja is 100% right when he says that the herculean task completed by him hasn't got the attention or recognition to the level of western climbers！Have completed several books on climbing and this statement is so very true since death of a prominent western climber would have generated more traction in the media。The efforts by him and his team are IMPOSSIBLE to comprehend sitting in our home and by becoming a keyboard warrior。 What they achieved has pushed the limits beyond imagination！People comparing it with Usain Bolt or other achievements are forgetting the fact that on ground there are chances of survival in case of error in achieving something like this。 In the death zone there is zero scope of error。 This is unprecedented！At some points， book sounds a little bit like boasting but it is absolutely required to put the things in perspective and his point of view。Had followed his mission on social media and prayed for his success。。。Take a bow Nirmal and team！Book is straight from heart and use of several F words in the book doesn't look good as it might have been acceptable during conversations but not in book。P。S。 - Not related with book but legends are also human and also make mistake or blunders。 After this mission， Nirmal and team helped Kuwaiti team to unfurl one of the largest flag on Ama Dablam， one of the sacred mountain。 As the book explains， he struggled to get the sponsors for his mission 14/7 and that pressure might have resulted in such blunder。 。。。more
sarah
，
this man is just insane actually， and i mean that in the best possible way
Alisa
，
This man's story is quite inspiring。 How he deals with setbacks and the challenges afforded him while climbing these mountains is amazing。 There were some parts that I felt he was a little ego-driven at times， but overall， he really pushed the boundaries of what is possible and how you can encourage others。 This man's story is quite inspiring。 How he deals with setbacks and the challenges afforded him while climbing these mountains is amazing。 There were some parts that I felt he was a little ego-driven at times， but overall， he really pushed the boundaries of what is possible and how you can encourage others。 。。。more
Kim
，
It’s a little rich to be lectured by someone galavanting around the Himalayas， and climbing Everest 3 times because the first two didn’t fit into his FKT （but would have still broken the world record） about global warming and environmental impacts of all the people on Everest。 And who now runs and owns an expedition company。 Grandiose ego and poorly written - timeline of when things happen or how much time has past is very loose。*This was a NetGalley advanced complementary copy in exchange for a It’s a little rich to be lectured by someone galavanting around the Himalayas， and climbing Everest 3 times because the first two didn’t fit into his FKT （but would have still broken the world record） about global warming and environmental impacts of all the people on Everest。 And who now runs and owns an expedition company。 Grandiose ego and poorly written - timeline of when things happen or how much time has past is very loose。*This was a NetGalley advanced complementary copy in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
Dan
，
Decent read。 Maaad 5 star achievement。
Dianna
，
Nims is such an inspiration！ If you need that extra push to achieve a goal read this book。 Or if you are just interested by challenges and adventure read this book！ Just read it！
Alexa Ferro
，
What everyone is saying is correct， this book could stand for better editing。 Lots of repetitive themes but also some themes that weren't repeated。 Did he climb to prove he could for himself？ Did he do it to spread environmental awareness？ For his family？ For humanity？ He definitely did for all of those reasons but I didn't feel like this was cohesive。 I at least knew to expect a lot of military influence throughout the book but it does come across strong。 I will also have to agree with a lot of What everyone is saying is correct， this book could stand for better editing。 Lots of repetitive themes but also some themes that weren't repeated。 Did he climb to prove he could for himself？ Did he do it to spread environmental awareness？ For his family？ For humanity？ He definitely did for all of those reasons but I didn't feel like this was cohesive。 I at least knew to expect a lot of military influence throughout the book but it does come across strong。 I will also have to agree with a lot of other readers that the way he comes across here is different than the documentary。 He comes across as a very "can do"， humble， kind and incredible person but here it comes across incredibly macho。 Does he deserve ALL of the praise？ Yes。 Was this the best mountaineering/climbing biography I've ever read？ No。 。。。more
Paul Markham
，
What an incredible achievement！ Nimsdai wants this to be inspirational but it just highlights the difference between him and the rest of us
Abby
，
Interesting， dude。 Definitely not how I approach the world， but it sure works for him。
Cecilia
，
4。5🌟 "Voglio tornare ancora sul punto più alto del mondo， pur sapendo che mi potrebbe scivolare via da sotto i piedi in qualsiasi momento" 4。5🌟 "Voglio tornare ancora sul punto più alto del mondo， pur sapendo che mi potrebbe scivolare via da sotto i piedi in qualsiasi momento" 。。。more
Robin Taylor
，
if you enjoyed the film， niw read the bookThe documentary blew me away and I thought about it for weeks afterwards。 The spirit of the mission to promote what is possible AND to have Nepalese climbers actually lead and pioneer the way is just an epic story by anyone’s standards。 But what was Nims thinking whilst all of this was taking place。 This is the book that will shed some light on the thought processes behind that。 I have even more respect for the whole venture now。
Betty
，
Having watched the documentary about the amazing 14 peaks climbs of Nims Purja I was looking forward to reading his written account。 Some parts of the book were quite good， but others it just didn't seem well written。 I think he tried to write this book in a hurry after finishing his exciting climbs， but maybe a bit more editing and help from an experienced writer would have helped。I also found it quite strange that he thanked everybody but doesn't even mention his biggest supporter， who held "d Having watched the documentary about the amazing 14 peaks climbs of Nims Purja I was looking forward to reading his written account。 Some parts of the book were quite good， but others it just didn't seem well written。 I think he tried to write this book in a hurry after finishing his exciting climbs， but maybe a bit more editing and help from an experienced writer would have helped。I also found it quite strange that he thanked everybody but doesn't even mention his biggest supporter， who held "down the fort" in England。。。。 his wife Suchi。 。。。more
Stephen
，
Brilliant， inspiring book。 Written in a very self centred way by Nims but still worth the read。
Karīna Liepiņa
，
Vienkārši izcila grāmata！！！！！ Cilvēku spējām nav robežu！！！ Apbrīnojama motivācija， mērķtiecība， darba spējas un darba ētika！ Tikai ar šiem nosacījumiem var sasniegt to， ko sasniedza Nimsdai！ Sasniegt nesasniedzamo！ 😳👊👍💪
Iñaki Amuchastegui
，
Incredible story and accomplishment。 Read it quickly and loved the parts about the mountains。 But at times it gets a bit repetitive and couldn't stop thinking sometimes that for all his claims about humility and selflessness， a lot of ego come through the narration。 And a lot more recognition and spotlight on his fellow climbers would drive his aim of giving Nepali guides recognition， a lot further。 Still would recomend the book and the movie。 Incredible story and accomplishment。 Read it quickly and loved the parts about the mountains。 But at times it gets a bit repetitive and couldn't stop thinking sometimes that for all his claims about humility and selflessness， a lot of ego come through the narration。 And a lot more recognition and spotlight on his fellow climbers would drive his aim of giving Nepali guides recognition， a lot further。 Still would recomend the book and the movie。 。。。more
Ed Hampton-Matthews
，
Amazing effort by Nims and the team。 Truly inspiring story that also gives you an idea of the risks of high altitude climbing
Bridgette
，
Was this the most well-written autobiography I have ever read？ Not by any means。 Nims can come off as egotistical and self-centered in his ambition， and the writing at times felt so repetitive， but I am so inspired by his efforts nonetheless。 I find people like him fascinating and love reading about what makes them want to accomplish such unbelievable feats。
Adam Osburn
，
This book should have been epic。 Such an amazing achievement by Nims Punja - full respect to him for climbing the 14 peaks above 8000m in just over 6 months （the previous record was over 7 years！）。 An amazing feat。 Unfortunately this book lacked any soul-you could not feel his achievements。 The book was so disjointed - topics that could have been expanded were brushed through。 Nims also has an amazingly high opinion of himself。 I did grow to like him more as I read the book （I also did a bit of This book should have been epic。 Such an amazing achievement by Nims Punja - full respect to him for climbing the 14 peaks above 8000m in just over 6 months （the previous record was over 7 years！）。 An amazing feat。 Unfortunately this book lacked any soul-you could not feel his achievements。 The book was so disjointed - topics that could have been expanded were brushed through。 Nims also has an amazingly high opinion of himself。 I did grow to like him more as I read the book （I also did a bit of an Internet search on him） but at first he seemed arrogant and egoistical who frequency described himself as a superman。 In one part of the book he described how he rescued a woman up on Everest。 While I think there is no doubt that he did completed a number of rescues during Project Possible， the way he describes his heroism is so self obsessed。 It is really unfortunate that this book lacks the soul， the detail and the emotions of the classic ‘In to Thin Air’ by Jon Krakauer （to be fair， many many books do）。 But there is an amazing story here of extraordinary achievement。 Done so while raising the profile of both the Sherpas （the true heroes of the mountains） and the environmental impact we are having on these and many other aspects of our environment。 Nims is not a writer。 This story needs to go to someone like Jon Krakauer to write it properly - this is not the book。But I would like to add - full respect Nims Punja on this achievement。 。。。more
William Fitzpatrick
，