The Boy From nepal

Nims was a true outlier, and exactly the type of man we should all learn from. Sadly I was not aware of him before the media coverage surrounding the Broad Peak Avalanche in Pakistan.

But through researching his life accomplishments, I cannot help but be enthralled. Nims grew up in the flatlands of Nepal, and wanted to be a Gurkha like his older brother. Whilst in boarding school he would sneak out at 1am to run 20 kilometres with a heavy pack. To put that into context, I run 20 kilometers for my weekly long run with no heavy pack, as a life long athlete - and it sucks. Obviously, he made the selection to be a Gurkha. Then whilst serving with the British Army Engineers, he chose a new route - The Special Boat Service. This is not just a simple pivot. A famed Tier 1 UK Special Forces unit that had never had a Gurkha within its ranks. Yet Nims was a trailblazer. He learned English humour, did more of his 1am runs, and most importantly learned how to swim! He became the first Gurkha to join the SBS.

One of the things I loved most about his story, was his willingness to change. When he randomly had the idea to start mountaineering in 2019, he left the army and fully committed himself to the Himalayas. He had never climbed before.

Nims became the first person to summit the 14 tallest mountains in the world in under a year. The previous record was seven years. He also became the first person to summit K2 in Winter, a feat deemed impossible before his 2021 expedition.

Nims spoke about the difference between living and merely existing. I wish we would venture further from the comforts we ultimately take for granted, and search for the activities that make us feel alive. And there is no rush. Nims felt alive in the mountains, yet he found them at 30. He died doing what he loved, and will go down in history as a mountaineering legend.

If you never put yourself out there, you may never find what it is that truly makes you feel alive.

Alex Aitken