World-Renowned Mountaineer Nirmal Purja Dies in Broad Peak Avalanche

Dragon Media News Desk

World-renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, widely known as “Nimsdai,” has died in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan. He was 43.

Elite Exped, the mountaineering company Purja co-founded, confirmed his death on Saturday. According to the company, none of the other members caught in the avalanche survived.

The avalanche struck around midday on Thursday on Broad Peak, an approximately 8,050-metre mountain in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. The mountain, regarded as the world’s 12th-highest peak, was being climbed by a 10-member international expedition led by Purja.

The team included six Nepali climbers and one climber each from Pakistan, Oman, the United States and China. Rescue personnel identified the locations of the bodies through drone operations and aerial surveillance, but difficult terrain and adverse weather prevented the immediate recovery of all the remains.

Purja was born in 1983 in the Dana area of Myagdi, in a village situated at an altitude of about 1,600 metres. He came from a family with a tradition of service in the Gurkhas.

Following that family tradition, he joined the Brigade of Gurkhas in the British Army in 2003, when he was around 20 years old.

In 2009, Purja was selected for the United Kingdom’s elite Special Boat Service, becoming the first Gurkha to enter the specialized military unit. He served in the British military for approximately 16 years.

Purja developed an interest in mountaineering while still serving in the military. He began his climbing career in 2012 with an ascent of the 6,119-metre Lobuche East in Nepal.

He resigned from military service in 2018 to devote himself fully to high-altitude mountaineering.

In recognition of his contribution to mountaineering, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him a Member of the Order of the British Empire, or MBE, in 2018.

Purja achieved global recognition in 2019 through his “Project Possible 14/7” campaign, completing successful ascents of all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres in only six months and six days.

At a time when climbers had previously required years to complete all 14 peaks, Purja finished the challenge in 189 days, redefining established ideas about human endurance, expedition management and high-altitude mountaineering.

His record was surpassed in 2023 by Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, who completed all 14 peaks in three months and one day.

Purja gained even wider international recognition following the release of the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” which chronicled his historic campaign.

The documentary brought the skills, courage and decisive contribution of Nepali mountaineers to a global audience.

Purja was also a member of the all-Nepali team that completed the first winter ascent of K2 in 2021, an achievement regarded as one of the most significant chapters in the history of high-altitude mountaineering.

In May 2019, a photograph taken by Purja showing a long queue of climbers near the summit of Mount Everest went viral worldwide.

The image triggered international debate over crowding, commercialization and dangerous “traffic jams” on the world’s highest mountain.

Following his record-breaking expeditions, Purja established a high-altitude expedition company and launched his own clothing brand.

His campaigns were widely credited with helping reposition Nepali and Sherpa climbers internationally, presenting them not merely as support personnel but as world-class expedition leaders.

Purja’s international prominence was also accompanied by criticism and controversy. In 2024, The New York Times published allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by two women. Purja denied the allegations through his legal representatives.

Following his death, mountaineers, rescue workers and well-wishers in Nepal and around the world expressed their condolences.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah said that although the physical journeys of Purja and the other climbers had ended, the history of their courage, dedication and contribution would remain alive and continue to inspire future generations.

The global mountaineering community has described Purja’s death as an irreparable loss, recognizing his profound impact on adventurous climbing, expedition leadership and the international standing of Nepali mountaineers.