- Lead. An avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range killed ten climbers on August 1, including British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja, one of the most celebrated high-altitude climbers of his generation.
- Fact. Purja, 43, set a world record in 2019 by summiting all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres in just six months and six days — a feat documented in the 2021 Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. He had founded Elite Expeditions to bring commercial high-altitude guiding to the Karakoram.
- Stake. The death toll of ten in a single incident ranks among the deadliest avalanche events on any eight-thousander in recent years, and renews debate over the safety of commercial expeditions to Pakistan’s highest peaks during the summer climbing season.
At 8,051 metres, Broad Peak is the world’s 12th highest mountain, rising above the Godwin-Austen Glacier in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. On the morning of August 1, an avalanche swept across the mountain’s upper slopes, killing ten climbers and triggering an emergency response by Pakistani military helicopters and high-altitude rescue teams.
Who Was on the Mountain
Nirmal Purja had returned to Broad Peak as part of an Elite Expeditions team. Among the dead was also Mallory Geis, 39, an American from San Antonio, Texas. The remaining eight victims came from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, and China. Rescue teams were able to recover several bodies from the difficult terrain; others remained on the mountain as operations continued.
Elite Expeditions confirmed Purja’s death in a statement: “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. Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy.”
Geis’s father spoke of his daughter to local news: “She was a very positive person. She could do most anything she wanted to do.”
A Record That Redefined High-Altitude Climbing
Purja’s 2019 Project Possible campaign shattered the previous record for summiting all 14 eight-thousanders — set at seven years and 10 months — by completing the challenge in 189 days. He was celebrated not only for the physical feat but for the visibility it gave to Nepali and Gurkha climbers, many of whom served as integral members of his teams. The Netflix documentary drew an audience far beyond the mountaineering community.
Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan hosts five of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders, and the Karakoram’s summer season — running from June through August — draws hundreds of climbers annually. The concentration of high commercial traffic and increasingly unpredictable glacial conditions has led to periodic tragedies; the 2008 K2 disaster killed eleven people in a single day.
Rescue and Response
Pakistani military helicopters reached the site after weather permitted. High-altitude porters and rescue specialists from the area also participated in the recovery operation. The Pakistani government offered condolences to the families of all victims, and mountaineering associations in Nepal and the UK issued tributes to Purja.
The accident occurred during one of Broad Peak’s busiest climbing windows, with multiple international teams on the mountain simultaneously. Pakistani authorities said an investigation into the conditions and route decisions preceding the avalanche would be conducted.