Nirmal Purja
His death was reported by Elite Exped, the expedition agency he founded. “Today, with deep sorrow and unbearable pain in our hearts, we confirm that Nirmala Purja tragically lost her life in an avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that the other members of the expedition, unfortunately, did not survive,” the company said in a statement.
According to Reuters and RBC, ten climbers went missing after the avalanche. Purja himself admitted shortly before the expedition that climbing Broad Peak was not originally part of his plans. In a post on social media platform X, he explained that he decided to change his route after tallying his ascents of eight-thousanders.
“If I conquer Broad Peak while I’m here, there will be only one left—Cho Oyu. And then I’ll become the first person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen,” the climber wrote.
Nirmal Purja became famous for achieving what until recently seemed impossible. In 2019, he climbed all 14 of the world’s eight-thousanders in just six months and six days, nearly tripling the previous world record. This project went down in history as “Project Possible” and became a symbol of how the limits of human potential are much broader than commonly believed. His story later served as the basis for the Netflix documentary*14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible*, which inspired millions of people around the world.
The world has lost a man who proved that the impossible is possible
I was fortunate enough to know Nims personally. We were together on the Vinson Massif in Antarctica, and later met on Manaslu. In real life, he was exactly as the whole world saw him: open, strong, kind, and incredibly demanding—above all, of himself. He inspired others not with grand words, but by his own example.
I especially cherish the words he once wrote for my son Makar.
“Always dream big. If your dream doesn’t scare you, it isn’t big enough.”
But immediately after that, he added the most important part: “It’s not enough just to dream big—you have to work hard to make it happen. The amount of effort you put into anything in life is what matters most.”
For Nims, this wasn’t just a nice quote. It was the principle by which he lived.
And then he told Makar one more thing that rings especially true today: “Believe in your dreams, keep working hard, and, as I always say, nothing is impossible.”
That’s exactly how he lived his life. He didn’t look for easy routes, wasn’t afraid to take on responsibility, and pushed the boundaries of what was possible time and time again. For millions of people, Nims became proof that dreams come true not through luck, but through character, discipline, and tremendous hard work.
Today, the world bids farewell not only to an outstanding mountaineer. It bids farewell to a man who changed the very concept of human potential.
May the memory of this great mountaineer, a true leader and a man of great spirit, live on. His records will go down in history. His words will remain in the memories and hearts of those who continue to forge ahead.
Nothing is impossible.This is the message that Nims Purja left for all of us.
Mircea Bacu,
Moldovan businessman and mountaineer
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