Six veteran climbers, decades of expertise: What Nepal lost in POK avalanche

The Broad Peak avalanche was not just another mountain tragedy. For Nepal, it was a disaster that threatens an industry built over decades on the skill and experience of its high-altitude climbers.

The avalanche swept through a multinational expedition on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's 8,051-metre Broad Peak on Thursday. It claimed six Nepali mountaineers, including globally renowned climber Nirmal "Nimsdai" Purja, along with four foreign climbers.

Nepali expedition operators told local news portals that the country had rarely suffered such a concentrated loss of experienced, internationally recognised climbers in a single accident.

"This tragedy is not just the news of the deaths of 10 climbers, including six Nepalis. It is a deep blow to a proud generation of experience, leadership, and records that Nepali mountaineering has built on the world stage over decades," Rishiram Bhandari, General Secretary of the Expedition Operators Association, told e-Kantipur.

-standard guides take years to train. Losing five of them at once, Nepali operators said, will be felt across the country's expedition industry for a long time.

"An international-standard mountain guide cannot be produced overnight," Chhang Dawa Sherpa, director of Seven Summit Treks, told The Kathmandu Post, adding that becoming one required years of training, repeated expeditions and practical experience.

NIMSDAI: THE MAN WHO REDEFINED MOUNTAINEERING RECORDS

Purja rose to global fame in 2019 after climbing all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 metres in six months and six days, smashing a record that had previously taken more than seven years to complete. His achievement was later documented in the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.

The Nepal-born climber served for 16 years in the British military, including a decade with the Special Boat Service. He was awarded an MBE in 2018 for his contribution to high-altitude mountaineering. He was also part of the all-Nepali team that completed the first winter ascent of K2 in January 2021, one of the most celebrated achievements in Himalayan climbing.

Purja had not originally planned to attempt Broad Peak. In his final social media post, quoted by the BBC, he said he realised summiting it would leave him just one mountain short of becoming the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without supplemental oxygen.

His body was found on Sunday at an altitude of around 5,700 metres, three days after the avalanche, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.

THE FIVE TOP CLIMBERS NEPAL LOST

Five other accomplished Nepali climbers died alongside him: Kili Pemba Sherpa, Pur Bahadur Gurung, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thendu Sherpa and Gyaljen Sherpa.

Kili Pemba was a lead guide with Imagine Nepal. Pur Bahadur and Nima worked with Purja's Elite Exped. Gyaljen and Nawang were associated with Seven Summit Treks, according to the Kathmandu Post.

Together, they carried years of accumulated knowledge in route planning, rope fixing, high-altitude rescue and expedition leadership.

Kili Pemba Sherpa: K2 history and all 14 eight-thousanders

Kili Pemba was among Nepal's most accomplished high-altitude climbers. He was one of the 10 Nepali mountaineers who completed the historic first winter ascent of K2 under Purja's leadership in January 2021.

Weeks before the Broad Peak tragedy, he had climbed Nanga Parbat, completing all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 metres. He was killed on Broad Peak less than a month later.

Born in Beding in Nepal's Rolwaling Valley, Kili Pemba began working on expeditions at 16. He summited Manaslu in 2002 and reached Everest for the first time the following year, according to an e-Kantipur report.

His contribution went beyond his own record. In 2021, Kili Pemba and Mingma Gyalje Sherpa helped identify the true summit route on Manaslu, resolving a long-standing problem where climbers had stopped at a lower fore-summit.

According to Nepali media reports, he was also renowned for guiding climbers with disabilities, helping a Chinese double amputee summit Everest and a Russian double amputee reach the top of Manaslu.

Yukta Gurung: A dream left two peaks short

Pur Bahadur Gurung, known as Yukta, had climbed 12 of the world's 14 eight-thousanders and was pursuing the final two when he travelled to Pakistan.

He had initially gone to attempt K2, according to the Kathmandu Post. That expedition was postponed after a client suffered a broken arm, and he joined Purja's Broad Peak team instead. The avalanche ended his ambition of completing all 14 peaks.

A native of Laprak in Gorkha district, Yukta entered the tourism industry as a porter in 2005 before becoming a cook, guide and internationally recognised climber.

He first summited Everest in 2011 at age 22. On May 20 this year, he reached the top for the tenth time, becoming the first climber from the Gurung community to do so, e-Kantipur reported. His other ascents included Makalu, Annapurna, Lhotse and K2.

His body was among the first recovered, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

Gyalu Sherpa: Three Kanchenjunga summits in one season

Gyaljen Sherpa, known as Gyalu, was an experienced guide from Okhaldhunga who began his professional climbing career in 2015. His record included Everest, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga, Cholatse, Himlung Himal, Lobuche, Mera Peak and Lenin Peak.

Chhang Dawa told the Kathmandu Post that Gyalu set a Guinness World Record by summiting Kanchenjunga three times in a single season, and he climbed Everest many times.

Gyalu had worked with Seven Summit Treks for nearly eight years and had completed another Everest ascent earlier this year.

Nima Sherpa: Four 8,000-metre summits this year

Nima Sherpa, from Sankhuwasabha's Makalu region, was raised in a farming family and entered mountaineering through the trekking industry before joining Elite Exped.

He had already climbed four mountains above 8,000 metres this year before joining the Broad Peak expedition, according to e-Kantipur.

His death meant Elite Exped lost its founder and two senior Nepali guides, including Yukta, in the same disaster.

Nawang Thendu: Promise cut short at 29

Nawang Thendu Sherpa was among the youngest climbers killed. At 29, he had already climbed Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and Ama Dablam. He first summited Everest in 2022 and reached Makalu earlier this year.

Nawang came from a family deeply connected to mountaineering. His father and three brothers had also climbed peaks above 8,000 metres.

"Nawang's passing deprives our village of a courageous, honest and exceptionally promising young man," a local official told the Kathmandu Post.

THE FOUR FOREIGN CLIMBERS

The expedition also included climbers from Oman, the United States, Pakistan and China.

Nadhira Al Harthy of Oman became the first woman from her country to summit Everest in 2019. She later climbed K2 and Manaslu and became a prominent figure in the Arab world's mountaineering community, according to the Oman Observer.

Her body was recovered and flown to Skardu, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said.

Sarah Mallory Geis, an American travel photographer and former Pilates studio owner from Texas, had closed her business earlier this year to pursue mountaineering full time. Broad Peak was her first attempt at an 8,000-metre mountain, according to Climbing Magazine. Her remains were located by drone and recovered by the Pakistan Army on July 31.

Sohail Sakhi, a Pakistani guide from Hunza Valley, had summited Nanga Parbat, K2, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen and had advocated for better pay for local Pakistani guides. Rescue teams found his backpack and a damaged GPS tracker, but he remains among those officially listed as missing, the New York Times reported.

Wang Zhong, a Chinese mountaineer, had summited Gasherbrum II alongside Purja on July 4, his eleventh 8,000-metre peak. Broad Peak would have been his thirteenth. He remains unaccounted for.

FIVE BODIES RECOVERED, SEARCH CONTINUES

The Alpine Club of Pakistan said on Sunday that five bodies had been recovered, with efforts continuing to locate the rest.

"The ground rescue team has reached Nirmal Purja 'Nims Dai' at approximately 5,700m on Broad Peak, where three additional bodies have also been sighted," the club said. The identities of those three had not been confirmed.

The bodies were being brought down to a Japanese camp before onward transport. Yukta Gurung, Nadhira Al Harthy and Sarah Mallory Geis had already been identified by Pakistani officials.

Rescue operations remain difficult because of unstable terrain, continuing avalanche risk and poor weather. Helicopters could not be deployed, leaving ground teams to carry out recovery at extreme altitude.

NEPAL AND THE WORLD PAY TRIBUTE

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the deaths had shocked the country. "The history of their courage, dedication and contributions will always remain inspiring," he wrote on Facebook.

Purja's elder brother, Kamal, said the family was devastated but proud. "Although our hearts are broken, we are incredibly proud of you. Your legacy will live forever," he wrote.

Britain's Prince William called Purja one of the greatest mountaineers and noted he had served with distinction in the British military before turning to climbing.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting called him an inspirational figure whose achievements were known around the world.

Nepal's Airlines Operators Association said that the deaths had shaken not just the tourism industry but the entire country.

WHY BROAD PEAK IS SO DANGEROUS

Broad Peak, in the Karakoram range near K2, is the world's 12th-highest mountain and one of its most difficult to climb. Its slopes are steep and avalanche-prone, and rapidly changing weather frequently disrupts both climbs and rescues.

The mountain was first summited in 1957 by Austrian climbers Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger and Hermann Buhl. Many have reached its summit since, but dozens have died on it.

One of its deadliest years was 2013, when at least six climbers were killed, according to the BBC.

However, the 2026 avalanche stands apart because it claimed not only six lives but also a generation of expedition leaders, record holders, route experts and mentors who had spent years making the world's most dangerous mountains safer for others.

Their experience cannot be replaced quickly. For an industry that depends on the judgement of its high-altitude professionals, loss will be measured in more than grief alone.

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