Who is Nirmal Purja, the famed mountaineer missing in Broad Peak avalanche?

Koh Ewe Fri, July 31, 2026 at 9:07 AM UTC

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Nirmal Purja is best known for scaling the world's 14 tallest peaks in just over six months

One of the most recognised figures in mountaineering today, British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja holds multiple records.

But his most famous feat was in 2019, when he climbed the world's 14 tallest peaks in just over six months - the shortest amount of time anyone has taken to do that.

Purja, also known as Nims Dai, is among 10 climbers who went missing after an avalanche on Thursday on Broad Peak, a 8,047m (26,400ft) mountain in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan. Search operations are under way.

Here's what to know about Purja.

From military to mountaineering

The 43-year-old was born in a small village in Nepal's mountainous Myagdi district, located around 1,600m above sea level.

He comes from a family of Gurkhas, a world-famous group of Nepalese soldiers who have served in different armed forces, including the British Army.

Following in the footsteps of his father and elder brothers, he joined the Gurkhas in 2003 at age 18 and joined the UK Special Forces in 2009.

During his 16 years in the British military, he developed an interest in mountaineering.

In 2012, he walked to Everest base camp and, instead of returning to Kathmandu as planned, he decided to learn how to climb "for real", according to his website.

He soon conquered the 6,119m Lobuche East, which was his "first peak", according to his website.

This spontaneous spirit for adventure remained part of his personality, even on his most recent expedition to Broad Peak.

In his last post on X, which was published on Monday, Purja said that he had not intended to climb Broad Peak.

"Initially, the plan was to climb just G2," he wrote, referring to Gasherbrum II, another peak located in the Karakoram mountain range.

A view of Broad Peak in the Karakoram range

But right before he set off for Pakistan, he realised that if he also managed to climb Broad Peak while he was there, he would only have one more mountain to conquer before becoming the "first person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen."

An eight-thousander is a mountain that rises more than 8,000m above sea level. There are only 14 of them in the world, all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges.

"This wasn't planned," Purja wrote. "But opportunities don't scream: they whisper to those already working in silence."

"Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down. I take zero mountains for granted," he wrote.

He had successfully summited Gasherbrum II on 21 July, his 57th summit of an eight-thousander, he wrote in a post on X.

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As he became more famous, he also faced scepticism from critics. And troubling allegations emerged about his conduct.

In 2024, a New York Times article detailed sexual allegations two women made against Purja. One alleged that he had sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in 2023 and another said he had grabbed and propositioned her while guiding her on an expedition to K2 in 2022. He denied these claims through his lawyer.

The 14 peaks

His mountaineering achievements earned him an MBE, a civilian honour, from Queen Elizabeth II in 2018.

But the following year he undertook his most ambitious challenge yet: setting a record for climbing the 14 peaks in the shortest amount of time.

While previous records stood at nearly eight years, Purja took six months and six days to do that in 2019.

His journey, named Project Possible, was captured in the documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.

He hoped that the film would inspire others to chase their dreams, no matter what they are.

"It's not about mountain climbing, it's about following your goals," he previously told the BBC, when the documentary was released.

Organising that expedition was not easy. He had to re-mortgage his house to fund the 14 summit attempts. Throughout this, he was supported by his wife Suchi.

Nirmal Purja (C) waves with teammate Mingma David Sherpa (R) after arriving in Nepal's capital following his mountaineering feat in 2019

Despite the dangerous and physically demanding nature of his challenge, Purja said he did not forget to have fun. He told the BBC previously that he could have climbed Everest, Lhotse and Makalu in three days, instead of five, had he not stopped for two nights "to have a drink".

In between rescuing weakened climbers and chasing a world record, Purja and his teammates would throw booze-filled parties in their camps at night.

He climbed at least one peak while being hungover, as shown in the documentary.

As he approached the peak of Everest in May 2019, he snapped a photo of a snaking queue of climbers all waiting to reach the summit.

That photo of the traffic jam went viral and sparked a conversation about dangerous overcrowding on the world's tallest peak.

After the success of Project Possible, Pujra returned to Nepal a climbing superstar. He has since set up an expedition guiding company and mountaineering apparel brand.

He also used his newfound fame to advocate for Nepali mountain guides, calling for more recognition of their work supporting high-profile ascents of foreign climbers.

In his last post on X this week, he wrote:

"This one is dedicated to everyone who carried me here. Supporters. Critics. All of you. Without both sides, there is no fire. So thank you genuinely."

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Source: “AOL Sports”