The Avalanche on Broad Peak That Killed Nirmal Purja
Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, 43, was killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range, according to the company that accompanied his expedition. The accident happened during an ascent attempt on the 8,047-metre mountain, the world's 12th highest. The company said on Saturday that a 10-person team, including expedition partners and guides Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nima Sherpa, had been missing since Thursday.
Purja became an international figure in 2019 when he climbed all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in six months and six days, a record that replaced a previous mark that had stood for more than seven years. That challenge, called Project Possible, was documented in the 2021 Netflix film '14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,' which brought his story to millions and highlighted the role of Nepali sherpas in major expeditions.
Before his climbing career, Purja served in the Nepalese army and later in the United Kingdom's special forces. In his most recent Instagram post, he described Broad Peak as outside his original plan, saying it offered an opportunity to become the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplemental oxygen. 'Broad Peak, only asking for a safe ascent and descent,' he wrote.
A Record-Breaking Career and the Ambitious Last Climb
From Project Possible to a New Record Bid
The death comes at a moment when Purja was pursuing an even more demanding goal. His last Instagram post explained that Broad Peak was not part of his original expedition plan but had become a chance to try to be the first person to scale all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplemental oxygen. The plea for a safe ascent and descent underlines the risks he was taking on an unfamiliar mountain.
What the Loss Means for High-Altitude Mountaineering
Purja's fame rested on speed and logistics as much as endurance. Project Possible required permits, coordination between ascents across the Himalaya and Karakoram, and careful timing of weather windows - all of which the documentary showed. His death on a mountain outside the original itinerary is a reminder that even the most experienced climbers depend on conditions beyond their control.
The documentary also gave rare attention to the contribution of Nepali sherpas and climbers, a theme now underscored by the disappearance of guides Gurung and Sherpa in the same accident. For the wider climbing community, the immediate focus is on the rescue effort and on what the incident reveals about the hazards of ambitious no-oxygen record attempts.
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