00:00Alright guys, good morning. Right now, I'm on my way to Camp 3 on Broad Peak.
00:05Nirmal Nims Purja, the record-breaking mountaineer featured in Netflix's 14 Peaks,
00:11has died following an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, his company has confirmed.
00:16Purja became a global name after climbing all 14 of the world's highest mountains
00:21in just six months and six days.
00:27The avalanche hit his group on July 30th, while they were climbing between two camps
00:31at an altitude of around 6,600 meters.
00:34Purja was initially reported missing, his company has now confirmed his death.
00:39Just days before the expedition, he had written,
00:42Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down.
00:46I take zero mountains for granted, not one.
00:49Now, if you haven't heard Nims Purja before, here's why he's such a big name in mountaineering.
00:56There are only 14 mountains in the world that rise more than 8,000 meters above sea level.
01:01At that height, the human body cannot get enough oxygen to survive for long.
01:06Climbers call it the dead zone.
01:07In 2019, Purja climbed all 14 of these mountains in just six months and six days.
01:12The previous record had taken nearly eight years.
01:15That journey became the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks, Nothing is Impossible
01:20and turned Purja into one of world's most recognisable climbers.
01:24Before becoming a mountaineer, he had served with the Gurkhaz
01:27and later with Britain's special birth service.
01:29In 2021, he was also part of the all-Nepali team
01:33that became the first to reach the top of K2 during winter,
01:36something climbers had attempted for decades without success.
01:39But Purja's career has also attracted criticism.
01:42Some climbers questioned his use of bottled oxygen in large support teams.
01:47Neither was against the rules, but critics argued that his record
01:50could not be directly compared with climbs completed without the same assistance.
01:55Then, in 2024, two women accused Purja of sexual harassment and assault
01:59in separate accounts published by the New York Times.
02:02Neither women filed a police complaint,
02:04so the allegations did not lead to criminal charges or a trial.
02:08Purja denied the allegations, calling them false and defamatory.
02:12The controversy still had professional consequences,
02:15with sponsor Osprey ending its association with him.
02:18Purja leaves behind a complicated legacy.
02:21Historic climes that inspired millions debate over how those records were achieved
02:26and serious allegations that were never tested in court.
02:29But there is no denying that Nims Purja changed
02:32how the world saw high-altitude mountaineering.
02:34Law.
02:36Law.
02:37Law.
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