- An avalanche on Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain the world, killed 10 people late last week.
- Famed mountaineer Nirmal Purja of Netflix's "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible" was among the dead.
- All the bodies have been recovered, including the body of an American climber.
A massive avalanche on Broad Peak, the world’s 12th tallest mountain, killed 10 climbers last week including Nirmal Purja, the British and Nepali mountaineer who gained fame for climbing all 14 of Earth’s 8,000-meter peaks in six months.
Purja’s effort from 2019 was documented a few years later by Netflix and dubbed “project possible.” Following the success of the documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible,” he wrote a successful book and launched an industry-leading expedition company — the first international guiding outfit owned and operated by Nepalese — called Elite Exped.
“Giving up is not in the blood, sir,” became one of his signature catchphrases.
Purja was leading a group of international climbers when the avalanche struck around noon, but Elite Exped was not able to confirm until this past Saturday that Purja was among those who died.
Five other Nepali guides, a guide from Pakistan and three clients, one of whom was from the United States, also died.
Among the Nepali guides lost were several of the country’s most accomplished and celebrated climbers. The Kathmandu Post’s article was titled, “Broad Peak avalanche wipes out a generation of Nepali climbing greats.”
“It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive," wrote Elite Exped in a Saturday Instagram post.
“We mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy, including his trusted climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa. Our deepest thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with their families, friends and loved ones.”
What happened on Broad Peak
The climbers were moving between Camp II and Camp III on the 26,414-foot mountain when the wind-loaded snow collapsed.
While no official investigation into the avalanche or its causes has yet been released, National Geographic was able to report some details based on information obtained from the team’s Garmin devices as well as reports from other climbers on the mountains.
While it is not typical avalanche season in the Himalayas, a significant amount of snow had fallen at the climbers’ elevation in the days before. One climber told ExplorersWeb.com about their decision to leave and not make another attempt.
Elite Exped, however, stayed. The team Nimsdai was leading reached an elevation of 20,231 feet by 5:33 a.m. last Thursday. An hour-and-a-half later, the team was over 21,000 feet high, Anna Callaghan and Grayson Schaffer reported.
By 9 a.m., they were nearly 1,000 feet higher. But the next reports showed the party more than 2,000 feet below their last position. One of the devices, Callaghan and Schaffer wrote, was more than a vertical mile below their last position.
The American who died was Mallory Geis, a 39-year-old woman from San Antonio, Texas, according to the Associated Press. She had previously posted on her personal Instagram account about her mission to climb an 8,000-meter peak.
After closing a pilates studio, she wrote in February, she looked toward the future with excitement.
“So here we go. Taking a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes,” she posted. “I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”
Who was Nirmal Purja?
Nimsdai — the former Gurkha solider in the British Army — reinvigorated international attention for high-alpine climbing. Following the likes of Reinhold Messner and Ed Viesturs, he became among the world’s most famous and foremost mountain climbers. To reach such acclaim as a Nepali, only added to his significance.
During his career, he summited the world’s tallest mountains — the 14 8,000ers — 56 times. For 28 of those trips, he did so without oxygen. In addition to the attention he brought the sport through his media efforts and prolific social media accounts, he also advanced some of its technical aspects. He was the on the team that successfully completed a winter ascent of K2, the second tallest mountain on earth.
His legacy was tarnished, however, when several years after his fame increased, he was accused of unwanted sexual advances by a few women. He denied the allegations.
More details about the events and decisions that led to the tragedy are expected to come out in the coming days, weeks and months. In the meantime, the Nepali and broader climbing community is shook by the tragedy.
In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Balendra Shah wrote a touching message addressing the loss.
“Climbing is not just a journey to the top. It is the supreme expression of courage, discipline, sacrifice and indomitable confidence that challenges human limits. The mountains give many the glory of the peak, sometimes even holding it in their arms forever,” Sha wrote. “However, mountain climbers will always remain immortal in history because of their courage and dedication.”