One Peak Away: Nims Purja Nears the End of His Most Ambitious Climbing Challenge

What the Hat-Trick Project Means

Purja’s Hat-Trick Project combines two major international mountaineering challenges.

The first requires him to climb each of the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres three separate times. These mountains are spread across the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges in Nepal, China, Pakistan and India.

The second requires him to complete the Seven Summits challenge three times. That challenge involves reaching the highest mountain on every continent.

Purja has reportedly completed the Seven Summits portion of the project, leaving Cho Oyu as the last remaining objective in the wider campaign.

A Career Built at Extreme Altitude

Purja’s latest summit brought his total number of successful eight-thousander ascents to 57. Twenty-nine of those climbs were completed without supplemental oxygen, placing additional pressure on the body in an environment where oxygen levels are dangerously low.

Above 8,000 metres, climbers enter what is commonly known as the death zone. The human body cannot function normally for long at such altitude, and even experienced mountaineers face exhaustion, confusion, frostbite and organ failure.

Repeatedly returning to these peaks therefore requires more than physical strength. It demands careful acclimatisation, route planning, weather assessment and the ability to make difficult decisions under extreme conditions.

Why Cho Oyu Is Important

Cho Oyu stands at 8,188 metres and is the sixth-highest mountain in the world. It lies on the boundary between Nepal and Tibet and is often referred to as the “Turquoise Goddess.”

Although its traditional Tibetan route is sometimes considered less technical than routes on peaks such as K2 or Annapurna, the mountain remains highly dangerous. Climbers can face severe winds, avalanches, crevasses, rapidly changing weather and long exposure above 8,000 metres.

Access and permits may also affect when Purja can make his final attempt. A successful summit would complete the remaining section of one of the most demanding repeated-ascent projects in modern mountaineering.

From Project Possible to Global Fame

Purja became an international name in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world’s eight-thousanders in six months and six days.

Before that expedition, the fastest completion of all 14 peaks had taken several years. Purja’s achievement completely changed expectations surrounding the speed at which the challenge could be completed.

His journey later became the subject of the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, which introduced millions of viewers to his expeditions and highlighted the role of Nepali climbers in high-altitude mountaineering.

The Historic K2 Winter Ascent

In January 2021, Purja joined a team of 10 Nepali climbers who made the first successful winter ascent of K2.

K2 had remained the only mountain above 8,000 metres that had never been climbed during winter. The Nepali team reached the summit together, turning the achievement into a historic national moment.

Purja later said he completed the climb without supplemental oxygen, adding another major milestone to his mountaineering career.

More Than a Record Attempt

The Hat-Trick Project is not presented only as a personal pursuit of records.

Purja has also linked the campaign to programmes supporting mountain communities through education, emergency response, environmental work and mountain-cleaning initiatives.

Through the project, he has sought to draw attention to the people who live and work in high-altitude regions and to the environmental pressure facing some of the world’s most heavily climbed mountains.

Why the Number 57 Matters

The total of 57 successful eight-thousander ascents reflects the repeated nature of Purja’s challenge.

Climbing the 14 peaks once is already considered one of mountaineering’s greatest achievements. Attempting to complete the full group three times requires climbers to revisit the same dangers under different weather, snow and route conditions.

The number also includes climbs completed without supplemental oxygen, making the physical difficulty of the overall project even greater.

The Last Step Toward the Milestone

Purja’s project has now reportedly narrowed to one mountain.

A successful ascent of Cho Oyu would complete the final remaining climb and bring an end to a project designed to test the limits of high-altitude endurance.

However, success will depend on weather, route conditions, permits and the safe completion of both the ascent and descent. Until he reaches the summit and returns safely, the final chapter of the Hat-Trick Project remains open.