EVERY SPOKEN WORD
150 min read · 30,011 words- 0:00 – 1:10
Meeting Nims & discovering the ‘14 Peaks’ documentary
- NPNims Purja
(drumbeats) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out. The Joe Rogan Experience.
- JRJoe Rogan
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) Well, hey, man, it's a pleasure to meet you.
- NPNims Purja
Hey, good to meet you. Are we starting?
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, we're rolling, man.
- NPNims Purja
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- NPNims Purja
I like it. No messing around. No messing around.
- JRJoe Rogan
I found out about your documentary from my friend, Cam Hanes. He's the one who told me about it. Uh, he, uh, he texted me and he said, "It's fucking incredible." And Cam is, uh, he does a lot of, uh, ultra-marathons and he does like, those 240-mile runs, those kind of things.
- NPNims Purja
Wow.
- JRJoe Rogan
So, he's one of those guys that like, he appreciates someone doing something completely insane. And so, he, he turned me onto it. He had glowing recommendations, so I had to, I had to check it out. It's, it's incredible what you did. The doc- the documentary's insane.
- NPNims Purja
Well, I must say, thanks, Cam, first things first.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- NPNims Purja
And here we are. And, uh, did you, did you enjoy the film?
- JRJoe Rogan
I did. I enjoyed it very much. It's, uh, it's incredibly impressive. And, um, when, you know, you just came here from England, right? Is that what you're telling me?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah. So sure-
- JRJoe Rogan
Can you explain to me like, why, why you're in England?
- 1:10 – 2:12
Why Nims lives in England: Gurkha history and identity
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, so, um, there is a big thing called the Gurkhas, um, going back into 206 years ago, um, the British, when they were trying to run over the world, take over the world, the British Empire was in India. And, uh, when they were in India, they were trying to take over Nepal as well 'cause it's a neighboring country. Um, but, you know, they didn't had a luck (laughs) , they didn't had a chance. So, at that point, what, uh, the British government said was, "Hey, you know, we'll not attack Nepal anymore, but you know what? Is there any chance we can have, you know, all these, you know, you know, brave guys, you know, fighting for us?" And at that point, um, the prime minister, the, the, the government of Nepal were really, you know, sick of, you know, this heavy force coming with art- artilleries, you know, the big guns and, and attacking. So they were like, "You know what? Yeah, we happy." So...
- JRJoe Rogan
So, they made some sort of a truce?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, so-
- JRJoe Rogan
And then-
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... Nepal joined in with England?
- NPNims Purja
Yes, yes.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm, I see.
- 2:12 – 4:13
From extreme poverty to elite ambition
- NPNims Purja
So, now it's 206 years and it's a big thing for us. So, I grew up dreaming to be a Gurkha. So, that was my like, childhood dream. And, uh, just to give an example, Joe, um, when I joined for the Gurkha, when I went for the selection, there were like, 32,000 people applying for it.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- NPNims Purja
And only 230 can make it. So, you can, you can do the ratio how tough it is. And, uh, but yeah, you know what? A lot of people say like, "Nims, you know, you know, you are here and, you know, you are successful and all that." But you know, mei, my success is, is not a coincidence. Going back where I was and specifically, you know, coming from really humbling background, like, forget everything. We didn't even have like, flip-flops. You know, forget the, the food. We didn't even have like, to eat meat. We had to wait for like, a big festival like Christmas. So, coming from that super poverty to, to where I am, and sometimes people say, "Oh, yeah, Nims is this and that," you know? Well, it took me 38 years to be, to be where I am.
- JRJoe Rogan
The people in America that aren't aware of the real poverty in the world and, and, you know, the, the, what people like to call the 1%.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
People always like to use that term. But in America, the 1% we think of like, very, very wealthy people. If you look at the 1% of the world, if you make $34,000, you're in the top 1% of the world.
- NPNims Purja
Wow.
- JRJoe Rogan
Which is incredible. I mean, it's, it's a very small amount of money. It's al- it's almost like, uh, what is 1% in Ameri- what is $34,000 in America technically? Is that... Is it lower middle class? Is it lower class? Like, I mean, you're, you're, you're struggling.
- NPNims Purja
Yes.
- JRJoe Rogan
You're, you're struggling in America if you make $34,000 a year.
- NPNims Purja
Wow, but that is, that is quite a lot of money for like, you know, like, a country-
- JRJoe Rogan
For the rest of the world, yeah.
- NPNims Purja
... and like, Nepal specifically.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, so I was, uh, going back to this story, Joe, if, if my, if, may I finish this.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, please, yeah.
- 4:13 – 6:39
Secret training at boarding school: discipline before anyone is watching
- NPNims Purja
So, you know, what I believe in is making things happen. There's no excuses, right? So, my two brothers were, you know, in the Gurkhas, and once they joined the Gurkhas, they were like, "You know what? I want my sister and my brother to go to the boarding school." So, they sent us to boarding school. Um, and my brothers are like my father, like my elder brother is 18 and a half year older than me, so...
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- NPNims Purja
So, in this school, like, we are not allowed to leave the compound. Uh, but I really wanted to be like, in the Gurkha. So when I was like, you know, 15, 16 year old, I used to wake up at one o'clock at night and I used to go like, you know, without permission, I used to run 30 kilometers in the morning before like, anybody finds out, and I come and, and pretend like I'm waking from my bed and, and I used to, you know, walk with a toothbrush and toothpaste pretending I have never left the compound. But I had to make it work because I knew that the selection is so tough, you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
And how old were you when you were doing this?
- NPNims Purja
I was, I was 16. I started when I was 15, so a year of training like that.
- JRJoe Rogan
And so, you just had it in your head like, "Listen, I'm gonna be in a Gurkha."
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
"I'm gonna be a Gurkha. I have to get in crazy shape."
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
"So, I'm gonna work out when no one knows."
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, yeah, because you know, if, if the teacher would find out that I have left the compound, mei, they in Nepal, they beat like, you know ... (laughs) they beat the hell out of you, so...
- JRJoe Rogan
Really?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
And d- was there any other way that you could train? Is there any...
- NPNims Purja
Look, not really, because you know, you start your like, in a school, um, it, it, like, if you, if you stay in the hostel in, from seven o'clock in the morning and you have to have your presence over there and then you finish around four o'clock in the evening. So it's, it's really tight schedule. You study about 14 different subjects. So-Yeah, there wasn't really way. And many of my friends wouldn't know and many of my friends wouldn't probably do that. But I knew that I had to push extra and I had to break that rules and that normal rules and regulation of the school to achieve my goal. And, um, yeah, in 2003, um, I managed to join the Gurkhas. Um, and from there like the story goes on.
- JRJoe Rogan
Wow.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
So that was 2003 and that's documented also in the film-
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... where you were, you, your rifle got hit with a bullet.
- 6:39 – 9:53
Chasing the next impossible: becoming the first Gurkha in the SBS
- NPNims Purja
Yeah. So, I'll tell you that story. So in 2003, um, I was in the Gurkhas then, you know, coming from Nepal we, we never know about the Special Forces you know. So I joined in the, in the Gurkhas and then we started hearing about names, you know. There's like, you know, a thing called, you know, UK Special Forces like SAS and SBS. So, SAS is equivalent to Delta in US military, SBS is, uh, equivalent to SEAL Team Six-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- NPNims Purja
... um, in, in US military. So, and then they were saying, "You know what? These guys are like the badass, they are like the real James Bond." And I was like hearing, I was like... And at that point, honestly, I didn't even know what real James Bond was. (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- NPNims Purja
So I started obviously looking more into it, doing more research and... Wow. And then I found about, you know, the, the, the Special Boat Service which is, uh, I mentioned, you know, like equivalent to your SEAL Team Six. So, they operate from air, water, in underwater and land, everything. So I was like, "Yes, I wanna be part of that cool group." And when I first talk about it, um, you know, all my friends including my seniors, including captains and s- even some of the, the senior rank that I look up to like in a way I was like, "You know what? I wanna be like those guys." You know, some, some ins- inspiring figures. And they were saying, "Nims, it's impossible because no one has ever made this, you know, in, in the history of the Gurkhas." And I was like, "Really?" And, and I said to them, "Look, you know, it's possible." And they were like... and they started making joke out of me. Then it comes to a certain point where like you don't talk about it anymore, you start doing things. So, and I will tell you this training regime, um, Joe, I used to wake up at one o'clock in the morning.
- JRJoe Rogan
What time did you go to bed?
- NPNims Purja
I'll tell you now, mate.
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- NPNims Purja
So one o'clock I wake up in the morning then I carry 75, you know, pounds in my bag and I run 20 kilometers.
- JRJoe Rogan
With 75 pounds on your back you were running?
- NPNims Purja
Running 20 k- 20 kilometers then I arrive at the military barracks then I start my normal military running, that could be, you know, eight miler run or, you know, assault training or whatever that military, you know, physical training is. I do that then because I was with the engineers that means, you know, I was on, um, this, you know, kind of thing like building an instructor finisher. So the whole day we are like, you know, plastering the wall and doing that, so it's full on labor work. And in the evening, I run that 20 kilometers back again clean fatigue. So clean fatigue means no burden but I run that distance back again to my house, quick foot. I go to the gym, to the gym and then I cycle 64 kilometers on the push bike.
- JRJoe Rogan
This is one day?
- NPNims Purja
One day. And then, and then, you know, like coming from Nepal, it's a landlocked country. I had never swim, swimming is my like weakest thing. And I front crawl swim 100 lane in 25-meter pool. And I did like that for six months, six days. I never said, "Oh, today, you know, it's raining." I never said, "Today I'm tired." I never said, "Today, you know, there's snow outside." Never. And it was like that.
- 9:53 – 16:22
What ‘self-discipline’ really means (and the role models he did have)
- JRJoe Rogan
Where did you get that kind of determination? Where do you think that came from?
- NPNims Purja
Like, you know, I, I truly believe that to break this barrier of, you know, a Gurkha, you know, to, to get into... I knew that I have to put more. And you know what? The only big thing the, the friends were saying was like, "Nims, you know, it's not only about physical, you need to have, you know, a great sense of humor, you need to have, you know, common sense and all that." So I was like, "Okay." Then I start looking into English sense of humor, all right? And I was like, you know... So when you go in the selection they will just like, the, the instructor, the DS we call it, directing staff, would call it, "Hey, come here, fucking tell me a joke." And the Nepalese joke is completely different to English sense of humor. So, every day I, I used to prepare different jokes. And I used to go in front and I used to say like different jokes and, and this is how much I was prepared and this is how much I was, I was willing to give. And yeah, in, um, in 200 years of history I become the first Gurkha ever to pass the selection for SBS.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's amazing. But what I'm, what I'm getting at is like when did you develop this kind of discipline and determination? Is this something that you had from the time when you were a boy? Do you know where this comes from? It was very unusual for... The, what you're saying sounds so crazy. I know you did it.
- NPNims Purja
Mm-hmm.
- JRJoe Rogan
Because I know you climbed the 14 peaks. I know you did it.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
By the way the, that's the name of the documentary, it's on Netflix. It's amazing. I can't, I can't recommend it enough. It's really excellent. But where did you get that kind of discipline and determination?
- NPNims Purja
You know what, Joe? Um, I don't think it's a discipline, it's a self-discipline and that's what it required to be where I'm today.
- JRJoe Rogan
But that is discipline, that's what I'm saying. I mean-
- NPNims Purja
No, no, what I mean by that is, you know, like, yes, I, I, I like that you have to be disciplined.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- NPNims Purja
That's for example, you know, if your parents is waking you up at six o'clock, you still wake up. If you're in the, in the ring or if you're training, you go and you still train but your coach is there and all that, that's not good enough. You know, what I mean by self-discipline and equally with that, the self-motivation thing-... that I really believe was key in my part is being able to wake up when no one is looking at me, when no one is waking me up.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- NPNims Purja
Being able to go and train when no one is looking at me, you know? So-
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- NPNims Purja
... the self-motivation and that self-discipline is, is where I really started looking into and believing that, "Nims, if you really want to do something in terms of breaking the, the boundaries and in terms of reaching your full potential, you have to be different." And I start, you know, kind of, you know, planting that into my brain. And, and this is how, you know, I have been where I am today.
- JRJoe Rogan
So you just sort of willed yourself into this state of discipline, knowing that if you were gonna achieve great things, you had to be able to work when no one was looking?
- NPNims Purja
Exactly. Exactly.
- JRJoe Rogan
And so you just learned this as a boy? You figured this out as a young man?
- NPNims Purja
I think it was a, a kind of, you know, development as a kid. So when I was kid, I wanted to be a Gurkha and then, obviously, I- I... That wasn't the, the same level of training as I, as I did for, when I went for the Special Forces selection. But it's a, like, build-up as I grew up through the age and then... And, and I think it's that dream to be able to see yourself in that career stage. So when I was in the Gurkha, I just dreamed to be... When I was kid, I want- I wanted to be a Gurkha. Then when I was a Gurkha, I wanted to be that in Special Forces. And you know what, Joe? I never used to drink anything until I was 25 year old. I was that much, I was that much, you know, I would say ambitious and, and motivated. So, when I passed the selection for SBS, I was like, "You know what? This is the biggest thing I could do in my life. I'm f- I'm a military guy, and I'm gonna drink." And then, obviously, it went obviously (laughs) different. I'm not alcoholic, though. (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
So you started becoming a drinker after that?
- NPNims Purja
Well, I started obviously, you know, celebrating differently-
- JRJoe Rogan
Enjoy.
- NPNims Purja
... and, and enjoying and all that. Uh-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- NPNims Purja
... yeah, as you seen on that, you know, movie on K2 and all that-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yes.
- NPNims Purja
... I think which we will come a bit later on.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yes.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, yeah.
- 16:22 – 19:32
Project Possible: quitting the military to attempt all 14 eight-thousanders
- NPNims Purja
So, Joe, there obviously you got- you asked me two question. Let me break down. So 2019, um, at this point, I'd served with the UK Special Forces for 10 years. I've been around the world. I had obviously done some crazy shit, you know, that, you know, people wouldn't have probably see on the movies and all that. So what happened in 2019 was I found a purpose. And, uh, look, just to, just to even put things into perspective, at this point, I had served 16 years in the British military. I had only six years left to get the full pension. So, you know... So if you look from the, the financial perspective, you know, I'm really there to get the full pension, but then I got this idea, like, the, the 14 peaks. So, why I'm doing this? So, I had two purpose. The first one was, look, doesn't matter where you come from, what your background is, whatever that is, you can literally show the world nothing is impossible, no excuses. And the second one was, look, the Nepalese climbing community, the Sherpas, are the king of eight-thousanders, but we never had the right c- you know, like, credits. And I wanted to raise the name of the Nepalese climbers. And those two purpose gave me the strength. So, what happened after that was straightaway I went into the HR. I put my resignation. And people went mental. They were like... You know, my brother specifically, like, (inhales sharply) "Nims, you know what? You're so selfish." Because at this point, I used to send-... you know, a chunk of my salary every month to my mum and dad. I really believe that. And our parents, you know, th- they look after us when we are, like, kids and vulnerable. And as a give back to them when they get older, they're also invulnerable, they cannot work and all that. So, I was always, you know, like, sending them money. So, when I, when I decided about this project and when I put the resignation, I know that there's no money going to them. My brother went really mental. He's like, "Nims, you know, you are the, the most strongest financial contributor in our family. And you know what? None of the Gurkhas have ever been there. You should, you should complete your career." And I was like, "No, brother." And, and we didn't talk for three months, me and my brother. And he's like my father. He's the one who sent me to boarding school.
- JRJoe Rogan
I'm gonna, I'm gonna slow you down here. Y- so, you had this idea and because of this idea, you decided to resign?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
This idea of climbing the 14 peaks, when, when it first came into your head, what was your goal? It was just to elevate the Nepalese climbers? Was it to raise money? Was it to raise awareness?
- NPNims Purja
No. So it was, again, literally to show the world that nothing's impossible. There's no excuses.
- JRJoe Rogan
But that's, uh, so-
- NPNims Purja
I wanted to-
- JRJoe Rogan
... but that's not a career, right? So, you're quitting-
- NPNims Purja
It's not a career, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... you're quitting your career-
- NPNims Purja
100%.
- JRJoe Rogan
... to show the world that nothing is impossible.
- 19:32 – 26:21
Funding the dream with no media experience: mortgages, GoFundMe, and belief
- NPNims Purja
I, I didn't only quit my career. Uh, my brother, I put everything on the line. And, and I'll go in details what I mean by that. So, I resigned. (clears throat) And, um, it was really tough. Um, look, I came from this completely different world, Special Forces background. I had never experienced of doing the fundraising. And when I first talk- start talking about the project, people were like, "Nims, it's not possible." So, for those people who doesn't understand what I was trying to do was, so there are 14 mountains in the world above 8,000 meters and 8,000 meters is, is the death zone peak. And the fastest someone-
- JRJoe Rogan
8,000. Excuse me. 8,000 meters is what?
- NPNims Purja
It's d- it's a, it's a death zone.
- JRJoe Rogan
It's death zone.
- NPNims Purja
So, the reason why it's called death zone is from that altitude, nobody can survive. The human body is literally dying. So, that's why it's called the death zone peak because all those 14 are above 8,000 meters.
- JRJoe Rogan
So, you can only be up there for a very small amount of time.
- NPNims Purja
Very, yeah. Yeah. And, uh, so the fastest time was a week short of eight years. To be precise, it was seven years, 11 months and 14 days. And the guy who tried to break that record broke it only by one week.
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- NPNims Purja
So, that was, that was that. And then I said, "I will do that in seven months," and people were like, "No. It's impossible." Again, uh, you know, those guys who are listening, just to put this into simple perspective. So, if the record for a full marathon is now two hours, what I was saying there then was, "I'm gonna do that in 10 minutes," and that's why nobody believed in. And, and so it was crazy. And I used to wake up at, like, 4:00, write the email, take early train to London, meet all this, you know, entrepreneurs, you know, corporate organizers and please them, repeat the same thing, come back home, quick food. Then I write again in the follow-up email, "Hey, nice to meet you today." And, you know, follow-up email.
- JRJoe Rogan
Let me stop you there. Hold on. So, you have this idea. You don't have any experience in filmmaking, you don't have any-
- NPNims Purja
Nothing.
- JRJoe Rogan
... experience in the media. You have no experience in doing anything in the public eye.
- NPNims Purja
No, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Everything you've done has been-
- NPNims Purja
Undercover.
- JRJoe Rogan
... just grinding as a Gurkha, grinding as a, a Special Forces operator. This is what you're doing.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
And then you just decide, "I'm gonna do this and I wanna make a movie about it."
- NPNims Purja
Yeah. Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
So, who do you contact? How do you even-
- NPNims Purja
So-
- JRJoe Rogan
... start that process?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah. So, it was, it was tough. So, the first thing was to get the money to, to go and climb, so.
- JRJoe Rogan
How did you even know how much money you needed?
- NPNims Purja
Um, so, you know, the high altitude mountaineering is, is quite expensive. Let's say even-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- NPNims Purja
... if somebody wanna do this, the whole 14 peaks, um, it will roughly cost around two millions.
- JRJoe Rogan
$2 million?
- NPNims Purja
$2 million. And because I was going as a very, like, bare minimum, 'cause I don't need that much support, you know, I put roughly under a million margin. And you know what, brother? Nothing. Th- there was no funding after one year of, like, going everywhere. And then what I did the first thing was... (fingers snap)
- JRJoe Rogan
When you say go everywhere, like, how do you even start?
- 26:21 – 32:27
Starting with Annapurna: danger, stats, and being ‘out of shape’ from admin stress
- NPNims Purja
Wow. So going back into that one, Joe, what I really believed in was, "Okay, people doesn't believe now but if I start climbing this mountain in the manner and in the style that I said I would do it, it's gonna be possible." So I took the flight to Nepal with 15% of the funding. Then there were a bit of like in small like, you know, um, I would say sponsorship came in, a few money from GoFundMe, and at that point when I fly to Nepal, I had 15% of the total funding. So the first mountain I choose was Annapurna. So in Annapurna is like where every four climbers who try to climb, three dies trying. So that was my first mountain. And you know what? This was the first time ever in the history of my life-
- JRJoe Rogan
Hold on. You said every four climbers, three die?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Isn't it every four climbers, one die?
- NPNims Purja
No, that's not on Annapurna. This is- it's- that's, uh-
- JRJoe Rogan
Really?
- NPNims Purja
... that's on K2. This is Annapurna. Every four.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's K2?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
So most people die?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Jesus.
- NPNims Purja
So this is like-
- JRJoe Rogan
So that's your first one?
- NPNims Purja
First one and this mountain-
- JRJoe Rogan
So I guess if you were gonna die, you're gonna die quick.
- NPNims Purja
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
Let's- let's get it over with.
- NPNims Purja
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs) That's so nuts.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
What- now what are they dying from? Are they dying from-
- NPNims Purja
From avalanches. It's the mountain where you see-
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, Jesus.
- NPNims Purja
... like, you know, like avalanches crumbling every like, you know, every minute.
- JRJoe Rogan
That is so crazy. Every four climbers, three die?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
That sounds so insane.
- NPNims Purja
(laughs) Mate, that's- that's crazy-
- JRJoe Rogan
(coughs) .
- 32:27 – 36:14
Everest traffic photo and the reality behind ‘too many people’ headlines
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... trying to get to the top. It seems like that had to be the weirdest of the climbs. Was that the weirdest one?
- NPNims Purja
Mm... Can I- can I tell you something, Joe? I think I did even, like, send you a message in anger, like, "Joe, you have posted my picture without credits."
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- NPNims Purja
That was long time ago. And you were like, "Sorry, bro, it was from New York." And I was like, "Yeah, but you know?" So-
- JRJoe Rogan
It was from The New York Times.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- NPNims Purja
New York Times. And you know what?
- JRJoe Rogan
So there's one credit. Or there's one photo-
- NPNims Purja
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
... rather.
- NPNims Purja
That's-
- JRJoe Rogan
Like, that is crazy-
- NPNims Purja
So-
- JRJoe Rogan
... that they do it that way. Like, how many people is that? It looks like 100 people.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, so the one that I took is-
- JRJoe Rogan
Look at that one right there.
- NPNims Purja
... is the other one on the right, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, that's the one that we showed. But that picture-
- NPNims Purja
Yes, like that one.
- JRJoe Rogan
... how many f- how many humans is that?
- NPNims Purja
So I think probably around, I would say, 100 plus. 100-
- JRJoe Rogan
So if one of those guys falls, does everybody go like a pile of dominoes?
- NPNims Purja
Well, if-
- JRJoe Rogan
That's not good, right?
- NPNims Purja
Well, the thing is nobody gonna fall.
- JRJoe Rogan
Nobody?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Listen, people fall.
- 36:14 – 46:54
Death zone physiology: HACE, hallucinations, rescues, and betrayal on the radio
- NPNims Purja
(laughs) To that note, to that note though, um, I have announced The Big Mountain Cleanup Project. Um, so we cleaned Manaslu, uh, last year in September. It's a 1,000-meter peak. This year, we gonna go and clean all the rubbish from Camp IV, which is at the death zone. It's at 8,000 meters-
- JRJoe Rogan
Hmm.
- NPNims Purja
... so there are loads of rubbish. Um-
- JRJoe Rogan
So you're gonna go to clean the rubbish at the death zone?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
How much time can you spend at the death zone before you, you know, die?
- NPNims Purja
For me, I can, I can live there too.
- JRJoe Rogan
You can live there?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah. It's Nims die. (laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
(laughs)
- NPNims Purja
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
So most people-
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... forget about you superman, but most people, how much time can they spend at the dead zone?
- NPNims Purja
So it all depends. Um, sometime, you know, people, people literally die because if they haven't acclimatized properly, but you can't really live there though, you know?
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- NPNims Purja
You, you, you are literally dying and it's... You have to see, like for example, the death zone, how I can, I can explain to everybody is like, it's like you're drowning in the sea.
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- NPNims Purja
Like-
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- NPNims Purja
... everybody is in, in survival situation.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- NPNims Purja
But some of us who can, who can outperform that, you know-
- JRJoe Rogan
Who can swim longer.
- NPNims Purja
... we can, we can see like, you know, like I can... As soon as I get there, I can say, "Okay, he's, he's in his like, you know, in his limit."
- JRJoe Rogan
Mm-hmm.
- NPNims Purja
He's in his limit, that people... So I can see from that big overarching umbrella point of view. And, uh, yeah, because it's, it's the element, it's like really thin air, um-
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, you talked about it in the, in the film where you got, uh... There's cerebral edema from being at altitude.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
And you were, uh, you were having hallucinations-
- 46:54 – 53:10
How the film got made: self-shot footage, then a bidding war and Netflix deal
- NPNims Purja
Look, the, the whole thing here was I wasn't only climbing this mountain, but I was managing my social media. I was doing the fundraising. I was, I was managing the team dynamics. I was doing the logistics. So as soon as I'm on this one, I w- I have to think about what's happening on the other mountain. And the big thing here is the filming of the project, which I'll come into a bit later. Um-
- JRJoe Rogan
The what of the project?
- NPNims Purja
The, the f- filming.
- JRJoe Rogan
Fil- filming. Filming. Okay.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah. Thank you. You know-
- JRJoe Rogan
Sorry.
- NPNims Purja
... with a thick accent, um...
- JRJoe Rogan
I thought you said flaming.
- NPNims Purja
So, so, Joe, you know, look, when I was a kid we didn't even have a TV in the house. Um, as a kid I used to go around, uh, to neighbors' house to, to watch the television and they would say, "Hey, get lost." But from that point today I produced the biggest mountaineering film ever in the history. So what I'm doing right now is not only about climbing. Climbing is the easiest thing I have done. So the whole of the 14 peaks, it was my vision, it was my idea. We didn't even have the production crew. I was climbing and, and flying the drone at the same point. I was making sure that the teams were in the right place to capture the content. All of this. So again, you know, brother, nothing is impossible. So that's the thing. And the question that you asked me before, when did Netflix come in? So when I finished the whole of the project, I had about more than 100 hours of, like, you know, footage in a hard drive-Before- before I went to Nepal at the start of the project, I had pitched this to everybody. "Can you film this?" Nobody. So when I come with the hard drive, may- I was in- in- in different part of the- of the table (laughs) and we did a big, uh, I would say, um, kind of in like auction. Who would come and- and make this, you know, produce this movie? Out of, you know, four or five people, um, I decided to go with Noah 'cause I felt like they were the right partners, and then, um, Noah put this together. Um, we had amazing director in Torquil Jones. You know, I think... and it's also his baby. Um, looking through 100 hours of footage and- and then stitching them. Then Jimmy Chin, um, you know, from Free Solo, he came in. So does his wife, you know, Tsahi. And then- and then we sold it to Netflix.
- JRJoe Rogan
So Jimmy, is his name Jimmy Chin?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
He was the guy... Did he f- produce Free Solo?
- NPNims Purja
He was EP.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, wow.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, he was EP on that, on that film.
- JRJoe Rogan
That movie's incredible too.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah, that movie's great.
- NPNims Purja
So they all came in, like, later on.
- JRJoe Rogan
Oh, I see.
- NPNims Purja
And then-
- JRJoe Rogan
So this was after the footage had already been shot?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
Right.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
So this is after you had completed all the peaks?
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
So what did- were you- you just had someone film it and you figured, "We'll just edit this later"?
- NPNims Purja
Not someone, brother. We- we film by ourself.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yes.
- 53:10 – 1:19:07
Impact, criticism, and giving back: cleanup project, bodies, and mountain ethics
- JRJoe Rogan
Well, the film has been a huge success, right? I mean, so many people have seen it, you must have motivated countless amounts of people-
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... to do things that they probably never thought they could do before.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, you know what, Joe? We... Yeah, it was the most watched documentary, um, in Netflix. Uh, we are number seven, you know, competing with, you know, even Dwayne Johnson on that- on that week, so-
- JRJoe Rogan
Competing with The Rock.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, with The Rock (laughs) . Hey Rock, listen bro (laughs) .
- JRJoe Rogan
Listen bro.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, but yeah, it was- it was extremely, I would say, a bit of overwhelming to- to see the response because-
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- NPNims Purja
... you know, I get so many messages like, "You know what, Nims? I was about to take my life, but when I saw that, you know, movie I was like, 'Wow, my life is nothing in comparison to what this guy went.'" And- and it's changing a lot of people's, you know, way of thinking as well.
- JRJoe Rogan
Yeah.
- NPNims Purja
So, you know, I'm- I'm happy. I'm happy, Joe.
- JRJoe Rogan
That's beautiful. There is something about watching people accomplish amazing things that does change your perspective. It really does work. And- and, you know, there's a lot of motivational people online but they don't necessarily do much. The real motivation comes from watching people do the impossible like you.
- NPNims Purja
Thank you.
- JRJoe Rogan
Or, you know, watching Alex Honnold and Free Solo-
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... or watching David Goggins or-
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
... someone who's actually doing something-... is what really motivates people.
- NPNims Purja
Mm-hmm.
- JRJoe Rogan
Talk is great. It's, it's-
- NPNims Purja
(laughs)
- JRJoe Rogan
... it's exciting. Like, sometimes enthusiastic and energetic people can motivate people just by words.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
But the real motivation comes from watching other people do things and knowing that it's possible to push beyond the boundaries that you think exist because... David Goggins has a great quote. He says, "Most people quit at 40%."
- NPNims Purja
Yeah. Yeah.
- JRJoe Rogan
You know, and I think he's right.
- NPNims Purja
Yeah, yeah. Did you see in my quote what I said?
- JRJoe Rogan
What'd you say?
- NPNims Purja
It's all... It's completely made up. So it was on K2 when I was there. Um, and what I said was, "When you think you are fully fucked, you're only 45% fucked."
Episode duration: 2:10:06
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