As Nirmal Purja does his well-earned round of media interviews, prominent mountaineers have stuck their heads above the parapet to voice their thoughts on the man of the moment.
One of contemporary Himalayan alpinism’s most revered practitioners, Italian climber Simone Moro, has said that although he considers such climbing “high-altitude tourism,” Purja has eliminated “all those who consider themselves heroes for accumulating 8000’ers with good weather, oxygen, fixed ropes and guides.”
The Italian added that such a “clear worldwide reference” may spell the end of “false heroes” and climbers claiming superficial mountain records.
Moro said that from his own vast Himalayan experience, he could “make a list with less than ten names who, with the same means, could repeat this milestone of climbing the 8,000’ers in six months and six days.”
On the emerging debate around Purja’s style, Moro criticized those purists who dismiss his achievement. Instead, he said, mountaineers should focus on repeating Purja’s project without oxygen or fixed ropes, doing the 8,000’ers in winter, tackling unrepeated routes, high altitude-link ups, or hunting out “exclusive and virgin peaks, or pristine regions.”
Simone Moro and Nirmal Purja. Photo: Nirmal Purja
Moro suggested that future mountaineers should not “waste” their career collecting 8,000’ers if they wished to become an “adventurer or explorer”.
“Until yesterday, you could have an alibi [for doing] the normal route on the 14 8,000m peaks.” he said. “Now, at least when it comes to sponsors and media attention, Nirmal Purja has put a virtuous and healthy end to this show.”
Reinhold Messner, the first man to climb all the 8,000’ers, has expressed surprise at how fast Purja completed all 14. Purja demonstrated, he said, “a great capacity for economic management, leadership, logistics organization. And obviously, exceptional physical resistance.”
Reinhold Messner and Purja at Nanga Parbat Base Camp. Photo: Nirmal Purja
Messner agreed that while Purja’s style has “nothing to do with the Jerzy Kukuczka’s,” Purja did not set out to “do better than the great Pole. He has never hidden the use of bottles above 7,500m, or helicopters to accelerate travel [on the mountain itself].”
Laying down the gauntlet to purist mountaineers, Messner wonders when other climbers will “be as fast as he is, and so resistant, without using oxygen cylinders.”
Messner believes that Purja has shown that Nepali climbers, and not just Sherpas (Purja is not ethnically Sherpa, nor was he born at high altitude), can independently lead Himalayan expeditions, much as local guides did in the Alps from the late 19th century onward.
Moro and Messner have sought out a silver lining in Purja’s achievement. Other Himalayan giants have not.
Chris Bonington said, “What he has done is quite extraordinary, but it isn’t mountaineering. Real mountaineering is exploratory –- finding new routes up to big peaks…I don’t see this as a major event.”
Everest new-router Stephen Venables added, “The fact that he used supplementary oxygen detracts from the feat. I know he also used fixed ropes. It isn’t exactly alpinism, as I understand it … It will certainly make it into the Guinness Book of Records, but in the history of mountaineering, it will only be a footnote.’
But the most stinging criticism came from the head of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, Amit Chowdhuary, who said, “We don’t support this kind of gimmick. If you have 20 people supporting you, of course you can achieve this.”
Such widespread commentary in the mountaineering world is expected when such a project as Purja’s leapfrogs the alpine journals to achieve global attention.
About the Author
Ash Routen
Ash is a postdoctoral scientist, globally published outdoor writer and arctic traveller. Ash's next expedition is a 700km trek along the coast of Baffin Island in spring 2021.
Read more at www.ashrouten.com
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17 Comments on "Mixed Reviews: Himalayan Climbers Assess Purja’s Feat"
I’d like to see the Indian Mountaineering guy do it.
Agreed! Absurd and irresponsible to suggest that anybody with 20 supporters could repeat Nims’ accomplishment!
You might be interested in the full statement from Chowdhuary:
‘We don’t support this kind of gimmick. If you have 20 people supporting you, of course you can achieve this. But you are putting so many people’s lives at risk, including your own. What for? We want people to climb safely.’
Indian expeditions in the Himalayas most of the times turn suicidal no matter of the amount of people engaged in climbing and route fixing activities (supporting) and yet they are blaming Purja for risking lives when he completed all 14ers in a single season with no single member of his team getting seriously hurt? I thought they should invite him to teach them something about safety instead, am I the only one?
Absolutely! Look at Everest this year!
https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/overkill-on-everest/
https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/because-we-are-there/
The exception is the Indian Armed Forces. Very nice, competent and strong people.
and he went out of his way to stop and rescue other people in need.
There aren’t any heroes nowadays.
Unless you climb Everest solo, without suplemental oxygen, fixed lines, sherpas support, blind (Erik Weihenmeyer did it) without legs( a few did it), at 80 years old, during the winter months, it’s just tourism.
Come climb a new route in the Canadian Rockies, zig-zaging through avalanches during the 8 months of winter or cross fierce rivers, while encountering bears and become one!
Great points. The real controversy, in my mind, is what are we to do now with all the “real” mountaineers who have for decades rationalized their failures to attempt rescues in the death zone by explaining that to attempt such a rescue is almost certain suicide? We are each entitled to define “mountaineering” however we choose, but It is hard for me to imagine how setting the route on Annapurna, and the top, most dangerous portion of the route on K2–both under atrocious conditions–don’t qualify as mountaineering.
Nirmal is just an extraordinary man, it is a huge achievement, I am wondering Who can repeat the climbs in such short term 😀 congrats Nims! You are a hero, and thanks for the efforts, you proved that person can achieve the impossible following a dream!
Exceptional physical resistance MESSNER said!
An air of acrobatic exploit waffts from Nims’ achievement. You know this when the elapsed time of the race is given to the nearest minute. The Brits have characterized it well. Kukuczka and Messner in my opinion remain examples to follow.
Bonington and his ilk do themselves no favours with their sour grapes.
Who can truly take seriously, the words of someone who claimed and got the glory that should have belonged to Don Whillans?
Whenever someone achieves something great there will be detractors. What Nirmal did is amazing no matter what, learn to appreciate and give him credit it won’t take away from your own achievements. You may have conquered mountains but not your narrow mindedness. Big high five to Nirmal Purja 🖐️
Only climbing free style with no outside help is real mountain climbing.
I cant believe the egos of some of these climbers. With oxygen or without, with fixed lines or not . Purja’s feat was extraordinary awesome. People will always find ways to bring people down, egos and jealousy seem to rule in the mountains these days. I would like to see if anyone else even with support could do this feat as fast.