Legendary Nepalese mountaineering pioneer Nirmal Purja passed away on July 30, 2026, at age 43 while climbing in Pakistan.
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Purja was a well-known quantity in the Nepalese mountaineering community and worldwide. He was a record-setter known for climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks in six months, all of which rise over 26,000 feet above sea level. More impressively, he did it without supplemental oxygen.
Purja, also known as Nims or Nimsdai, was one of ten Nepali climbers to die while summiting Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range. An avalanche claimed the lives of all ten climbers. Here’s what we know about the incident, along with Purja’s legacy.
Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja: A legacy that will last
Purja was a mountaineer and a businessman who made his living helping climbers reach the peak of Mount Everest. Unlike many other Nepali climbers, he isn’t Sherpa, instead from the Magar ethnic group. (For context, very few elite climbers have ever summited Mount Everest without the help and guidance of a guide like Purja.)
Purja was also a British citizen and a member of the Brigade of Gurkhas, a special forces unit. He later advanced to Britain’s elite SBS, or Special Boat Service, where he served as a cold-weather warfare specialist until 2018. At that time, he turned his focus to mountaineering.
Purja made his name when he summited all 14 ‘eight-thousanders’, a nickname for the world’s tallest mountain peaks that rise over 8,000 meters. He starred in a film known as 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, which documented his team’s race to summit the eight-thousanders. In doing so, he broke multiple Guinness World Records.
Purja was also an activist who defended Mount Everest, hoping to minimize the impact of tourism on Everest by showcasing other mountains worth climbing. One of his accomplishments is helping highlight Pakistan’s summitable peaks. Like many other Nepali mountaineers, Purja headed to Pakistan when Nepal’s climbing season came to a close.
His team, EliteExped, consisted of ten climbers, including experienced mountaineers from the United States, Oman, and China, along with several elite Nepalese Sherpa mountaineers. Oman’s Nadhira Al Harthy was the first woman from Oman to summit Everest.
On the morning of July 30, 2026, an avalanche hit all ten mountaineers when traveling from Camp 2 to Camp 3. Previously, other climbers mentioned high winds and humidity, which are non-ideal conditions. Following the avalanche, Pakistani rescue teams began aerial helicopter searches. As of August 3, Pakistani and Nepalese authorities have found remains for all teammates aside from two.
The loss of Purja, known as Nimsdai back home, has kicked off nationwide mourning. Fellow Nepalese climbers Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, and Pur Bahadur Gurung are also being mourned.
