Departures of note

Nirmal Purja, known as Nims or Nimsdai, was a Nepalese-British mountaineer born in July 1983 in the Myagdi District of Nepal. Before his mountaineering career, he served 16 years in the British Army, first with the Brigade of Gurkhas and later with the Special Boat Service, becoming the first Gurkha to join the elite unit. He resigned in 2018 to pursue high-altitude climbing full-time.

Purja achieved worldwide fame in 2019 when he completed Project Possible 14/7, climbing all 14 eight-thousanders in just six months and six days, shattering the previous record of over seven years. His achievements included being the first person to summit Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu within 48 hours, and leading the first successful winter ascent of K2 in January 2021. His remarkable journey was documented in the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2018 for his mountaineering achievements. Purja died on July 30, 2026, when an avalanche struck his expedition on Broad Peak in Pakistan, where he was leading a group of climbers.