After summiting Pakistan's four 8000m peaks (26,247ft), Nirmal Purja's quest was once again in jeopardy. Pakistan had marked phase two of his ambitious attempt to complete all 14 of the world's 8000ers in just seven months, but a lack of funding almost derailed his plans. Phase three (consisting of Manaslu in Nepal, Cho Oyu on the Nepal-China border, and Shishapangma in China) faced the same problem.

Once again, his long-time sponsor Bremont Watches seems to have stepped in to provide the funding. In early September, Purja and his Project Possible team flew into the Khumbu Valley and started to acclimatize on Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world.

Heavy snow made for slow progress and the team were limited to rotations as high as 21,000ft. With time running out to climb Cho Oyu before the mountain would be closed to foreigners on October 1, Purja made a snap decision to switch peaks. Flying to Cho Oyu base camp he linked up with climbing partner Gesman Tamang and quickly set to work on the new mountain. By September 23, they were ready for a summit push as the weather cleared. The pair, alongside a rope-fixing team, reached the top at 11.30 am local time.

Next, Purja will return to Manaslu, where he hopes to summit before the end of September. Should he summit Manaslu, only Shishapangma will remain to complete all 14 of the 8000m peaks.