As condolences pour in for Nirmal Purja, the Nepali-British mountaineer whose death was confirmed after an avalanche at Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's (PoK) Broad Peak, his last social media post before his fatal trek has gone viral.
Better known as "Nimsdai", the famed Gurkha mountaineer who served in the British Army and Royal Marines had gone missing on Thursday after a deadly avalanche hit Broad Peak, which is the 12th highest in the world, and a part of the Karakoram range.
After the avalanche cut off contact between the trekking team and the outside world, experienced Pakistani climbers and army helicopters took part in the search-and-rescue operation, after which all members of the expedition were confirmed dead on Saturday.
As a result, his last post before the trip has gone viral, in which he offers the inspiring reason behind why he chose to embark on the dangerous trip with a 10-strong team on the 8,051-metre peak.
He explained that the Broad Peak climb was not even part of the plan: his original plan had been to just climb the 8,035-metre Gasherbrum II (G2) peak, but realised that climbing both mountains would mean an important record was within reach.
"But just before setting off for Pakistan, I ran the numbers on my 8000m summits. That’s when it hit me: if I tick off Broad Peak whilst I’m here , only one remains 'Cho Oyu'. Then I become the FIRST person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen," he explained in the post.
Speaking about 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible, the Netflix documentary showing how he climbed 14 peaks without additional oxygen in just 189 days in 2019, he added that he had already completed "all 5 of Pakistan’s 8000ers in just 26 days", justifying his upcoming expedition.
"Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down. I take zero mountains for granted. Not one. The moment my foot leaves basecamp, it’s 100 per cent. Always has been. Always will be ... My purpose has never been about me. It’s about what I represent. It’s about showing YOU that your own mountains—whatever they are—are climbable," he added in the post, which has received 182,000 likes and is flooded with comments of support and condolences.
Elite Exped, the mountaineering expedition company that Purja co-founded, also announced that the remaining members of his team had perished in the avalanche as well.
“Today, 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," their post read.
