Mr. Purja wrote that he discovered a love of mountaineering during his time in the boat service. While on leave in December 2012, he trekked to Everest Base Camp, and later that month, summited Nepal’s 6,119-meter Lobuche East peak. By 2016, he had climbed several major mountains, establishing a reputation as one of Nepal’s best mountaineers.

In 2019, Mr. Purja embarked on what he called “Project Possible,” aiming to climb all 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters in record time. During the project, he climbed six 8,000-meter mountains in Nepal in 31 days and five peaks in Pakistan in 23 days. He reached three other peaks, including Everest, within 48 hours and 30 minutes, finishing all 14 climbs in 6 months and 6 days. The previous attempt had taken more than seven years.

Mr. Purja’s achievement gained worldwide attention and was featured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.” In 2023, his record was broken by Kristin Harila and Tenjen Lama Sherpa, who completed the climbs in 92 days. Mr. Purja then repeated the 14 peaks in 2024, this time without supplemental oxygen. On Monday, he wrote on social media that Broad Peak was the penultimate mountain on his second attempt to summit all 14 peaks without oxygen.

In 2021, Purja, together with Mingma Gyabu Sherpa and Tejan Gurung, established Elite Exped, a guiding company that has been influential in the commercial climbing industry.

Mr. Purja has been accused of sexual abuse by female climbers, including by a former client of Elite Exped. In a 2024 New York Times article, Lotta Hintsa, a professional mountaineer and former Miss Finland, described an encounter in her hotel room in which she said Mr. Purja removed her clothes despite her protests. In the same article, Dr. April Leonardo, an American physician who employed Mr. Purja as a guide on K2, said that he repeatedly propositioned her for sex during the climb, at one point coming into her tent and placing her hand on his crotch. A lawyer for Mr. Purja at the time said that Mr. Purja “unequivocally denies the allegations of wrongdoing. These allegations are false and defamatory.”