Two World Records That Made Nirmal Purja A Mountaineering Legend

Nepali mountaineer Nirmal "Nimsdai" Purja has died in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan, his company Elite Expeditions confirmed on Saturday. He was 43. Purja was leading a 10-member expedition on the Karakoram peak when the team lost contact with base camp after the avalanche struck on Friday. The group included climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the US and China. Elite Expeditions later confirmed that other members of the team, including fellow Nepali climbers Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nima Sherpa, did not survive.

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Purja was born in Myagdi, Nepal, in July 1983. He joined the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas as a teenager and later served in the UK Special Boat Service as a cold-weather warfare specialist. He left the military in 2018 to pursue mountaineering full-time, going on to become one of the most decorated climbers in the sport.

Purja made history twice on the world's 8,000-metre peaks.

Photo: Instagram/@nimsdai

2019: 14 peaks, 189 days

Climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks had previously taken the fastest climber almost eight years. Purja completed the feat in six months and six days - a record that stood until 2023, when Norwegian climber Kristin Harila completed the same challenge in 92 days. Purja's climb was later documented in the Netflix film "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible."

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2021: First winter ascent of K2

K2 was the last of the 8,000-metre peaks never summited in winter, an objective that had defeated every attempt since the late 1980s. In January 2021, Purja led a 10-member, all-Nepali team to the summit, timing the final steps so the group could reach the top together. Purja completed the climb without supplemental oxygen.

Purja is survived by his wife, Suchi Purja, and their daughter.