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Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

nimsdai.com

21–30 of 59 posts

Re: Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

#21
Surprised this has not come up already on here - what this guy did is absolutely INSANE. I am reading his book right now.

The naysayers will say that he did it with oxygen and talk smack but the reality is that using O2 is a perfectly valid way to do it - just as is doing it without O2. Of course you cannot compare speed with the two methods (meaning obviously doing it with O2 should help you do it faster) but at the top elite level there is nobody actually looking down on those who use bottled oxygen. This guy basically assembled a superhuman team of climbers and perfectly executed a style of climbing I might describe as semi-Alpine style and achieved in 7 months what used to take people 10 years.

The other awesome thing about this is that the Sherpas have essentially been doing this for years and years and never really getting the kind of credit and attention they deserve - all the big ascents we remember the western explorers who are paying for their help - but in fact pretty much every ascent relies on their skills. They are superstars in their hometowns but Nims has really brought them more into the spotlight and that is just awesome. I don't do much social media or follow really any famous people but if you checkout the Instagram accounts for example of some of the more active Sherpas it is actually super interesting.

In terms of Nims himself a very interesting part of the book / various documentaries is the sheer amount of funding work he was able to accomplish and also the just ridiculous amount of red tape and permitting and logistics that he pulled off. To top all off this is during Covid lockdowns which of course throws a whole wrench in planning. And they filmed the entire thing!

Re: Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

#22
post #5
post #2

Kristin Harila of Norway is attempting to beat this record this year. She has just 3 remaining. https://explorersweb.com/gasherbrum-i-summits-keep-speed-rec...

I was shocked to find out she is only 36, is sunscreen just not a concern for people ascending the peaks??

Sun is MUCH more intense actually so protection is paramount - at these elevations you are getting absolutely blasted in much higher amounts of UV - and on top of that snow also reflects tons of UV and light which makes it even worse. They do these climbs of course in summer when the weather windows open so this is a seriously intense problem. Quality glacier glasses / lenses really opened up this whole world immensely - up until this point people had to fashion weird things like putting little slits in clothing and covering the face and still tons of people go snowblind. Based on my (limited) experience with mountaineering I would guess that while sunscreen is most likely a factor they are covering up their faces with high UPF clothing.

Re: Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

#23
post #2

Kristin Harila of Norway is attempting to beat this record this year. She has just 3 remaining. https://explorersweb.com/gasherbrum-i-summits-keep-speed-rec...

I am rooting for her of course but the political and logistical hurdle of getting those final permits may screw her over. I hope this article is outdated and she already has them

Re: Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

#24
A question - how difficult is to climb Cho Oyu? Climbing one 8,000er is on my bucket list and from the research I did it looks like Cho Oyu might be the most accessible one - how does it compare to other mountains/sports wrt its difficulty?

Also, is it a good idea to get a megadose of vitamin B1 before entering the death zone in order to offset the lack of oxygen? B1 is known to help prevent/treat HAPE and seems to have significant effect in boosting metabolism and preventing pseudohypoxia.

Re: Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

#25
post #8

An astounding accomplishment no doubt, but Nims is clearly very arrogant and self-centered. In addition, he didn’t reach the true summit of Manaslu, and has likely lied about other aspects of his climbs (for example, claiming to have climbed Kangchenjunga without supplemental oxygen)

If you are the best of the best the world has to offer I think some arrogance is allowed. Not to mention he has also really brought to the forefront a lot of other Sherpas who might not otherwise ever get the spotlight they deserve.

They also have rescued countless climbers (even while attempting this insane goal) so I do not think we have much standing to judge this guy at all.

Re: Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

#26

There’s another famous 14, but at 14k feet, the Nolans 14 in Colorado: http://mattmahoney.net/nolans14/

Cool stuff and I may actually attempt some of these myself - that being said 14k feet is a whole different ballgame compared to the 8000m peaks (26,000 ft). Generally 4000m peaks are considered the amateur mountaineering ones, 6000m intermediate and still super respectable, and 8000m the elite.

Re: Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

#27
post #24

A question - how difficult is to climb Cho Oyu? Climbing one 8,000er is on my bucket list and from the research I did it looks like Cho Oyu might be the most accessible one - how does it compare to other mountains/sports wrt its difficulty? Also, is it a good idea to get a megadose of vitamin B1 before entering the death zone in order to offset the lack of oxygen? B1 is known to help prevent/treat HAPE and seems to h…

I don't have personal experience beyond 6K meter peaks but Cho Oyu seems to be regarded as probably the "starter" 8K meter peak.

That said, any 8K meter peak is still incredibly challenging for most people even on a well-supported climb. Don't believe the sherpas basically carry you up narrative.

Even ~6K meter peaks are pretty challenging. I've been up a few in that general range (Nepal, Ecuador, Russia)--some are more technical than others--but none are exactly straightforward in the grand scheme of things. Something in that range was probably about my limit even when I was younger.

Can't/won't speak to medical advice in general. Some people get altitude sickness at ski areas in the western US.

Re: Project Possible: Ascending 14 peaks in 7 months

#30

Surprised this has not come up already on here - what this guy did is absolutely INSANE. I am reading his book right now. The naysayers will say that he did it with oxygen and talk smack but the reality is that using O2 is a perfectly valid way to do it - just as is doing it without O2. Of course you cannot compare speed with the two methods (meaning obviously doing it with O2 should help you do it faster) but at the…

Are there accounts of the sherpas that you’d recommend (ideally instagram)? That sounds really cool.
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