To the question: why had no one before you achieved this feat? He answers without hesitation in a tone that is both firm and amused: “because I wasn’t there!” Laughter in the room where the press conference is being held. But that gives you the character. A character who stopped for a few hours on Monday at the premises of the “Research and Development” department of Sidas / Therm-ic, one of its partners, in Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs.
Mantra
Doubts, Nimsdai, former British Special Forces, does not seem to have – or so he keeps them to himself. Unknown to the small world of himlayism a few years ago, he repeats his slogan today like a mantra: “no matter where you come from and what your background is: you can show the world that nothing is impossible, push human limits”. His film “14×8000”, posted online last fall, is a hit on Netflix.
The documentary retraces his “possible project” – because nothing is impossible, did you follow? Climbing the 14 peaks over 8,000 meters in 6 months – it will take a few days longer, but more for diplomatic than physical reasons. Of course he is not the first to climb these 14 giants: the great Reinhold Messner achieved this feat in 1986. But it took him almost a lifetime to do so; “Nims” closed the deal in a few months thanks to unfailing motivation and a team of Nepalese who are as competent as they are devoted. “The other important thing, he continues, this is what I wanted to bring to Nepali climbers who have been sidelined for too long.”
This is also one of the messages of the film _: _“If it had been made by a European or a Westerner, if they had made this film with a different person, it would have had 10 times more impact! It’s a fact”. Today, nothing has changed, he maintains, we are not “only at the very beginning of awareness”. It is not so much the Nepalese that he claims to defend, but “humans” in general ; he wants “Make the voice of those who have none heard”.
Defense of the environment
And then, Nimsdai has a new purpose in life: the defense of the environment. “The mountain is my home and I have to do everything possible to protect it” he points out. Nimsdai launched the project Big Mountain Cleanup. “We are going to clean up the waste at Camp IV of Everest, at K2 too, he explains. At K2, it’s not just the trash, it’s got all those ropes that climbers tie themselves onto that are in tatters. This is also the case on the Ama Dablam. I’m just doing my part (to protect our planet).”
The critics he knows. His answers are well-rehearsed. He says he wants to commit to the defense of the environment when we see helicopters in his film? “I used the helicopter three times in all for the 14 summits. If you want to climb Everest, are you going to walk there from here?”, he says. He used oxygen bottles? “If you walk in front, with 35 kilos, you make the track in the snow and you fix the ropes, it’s ten times harder than if you are behind without oxygen and you follow the track!” As a guide, he organizes commercial expeditions and takes clients to the top of the world: isn’t that counterproductive for someone who wants to defend the environment? Again he answers with a question:“Each season, around 300 people climb Everest. How many climb Mont-Blanc? Thousands!” – tens of thousands even.
– Lionel Cariou
Nimsdai represents this generation of Nepalese who are determined to make history. He was part of the team that made the first ascent of K2 (8,611 meters) in winter – and he didn’t use artificial oxygen. And when asked if he has another feat in mind, he says with a smile: “I don’t know brother… but stay tuned!”