Nirmal Purja dies while climbing Pakistan’s Broad Peak:Avalanche claims life of renowned Nepalese mountaineer

Renowned Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja, celebrated for scaling all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in a record six months and six days, has died after being caught in an avalanche while climbing Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range. Purja’s mountaineering company, Elite Exped, confirmed his death on Saturday. The 42-year-old climber was attempting to summit the 8,051-metre Broad Peak on July 30 when an avalanche struck at an altitude of around 7,000 metres. Following the avalanche, 10 climbers, including Purja, were reported missing. Among them were six Nepalese mountaineers. Record-breaking climber Known as “Nims Dai” in the global mountaineering community, Purja launched Project Possible in 2019 with the ambitious goal of climbing all 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres in just seven months, a challenge many considered impossible. He surpassed that target by completing all 14 summits in six months and six days, breaking the nearly eight-year-old world record held by South Korean mountaineer Kim Chang-ho. The achievement cemented Purja’s reputation as one of the greatest high-altitude climbers in history and earned him worldwide recognition. Purja also became the first mountaineer to summit Everest, Lhotse and Makalu within 48 hours and was part of the historic team that completed the first winter ascent of K2 in 2021. His extraordinary achievements were chronicled in the bestselling book Beyond Possible and the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.