NimsDai

Nepal, 2019.

I've spent the last week reading the outpouring of grief from the mountaineering community over the passing of the 10-member expedition at Broad Peak in Pakistan on 30 July. 

In an era where words like 'legend', 'epic', and 'idol' are thrown around callously, it's hard to define the length of breadth in which Nirmal Purja smashed this definition. 

The documentary 14 Peaks was released almost 5 years ago, and I can still recall the feeling of awe and exhilaration at this Asian man who not only achieved records, but spotlighted the hardworking community of Nepali sherpas, his fellow countrymen, to the world stage. Watching him and his team scale 8000's, saving lives along the way, capturing incredible footages, was like watching a true live-action hero, an iconic figure of mastery, discipline, and charisma*.

This was a man who found a calling that, in a time saturated with 'viral travel spots' and '15-minute fame', managed to consistently show humanity that there were still frontiers to pursue and communities to amplify. He was a modern-day explorer who displayed a dogged tenacity and magnetic storytelling voice that singularly rose above typical schpiels. Incredibly, at the end of his harrowing journey, he managed to look at the camera and say: it wasn't about what he did, it was about reminding everyone else what could be done. 

To a travelling enthusiast like myself, knowing that a person like him was out there in real time, challenging limits and exploring remote death zones, kept the sense of true adventure alive in my spirit. His 'lighting in a bottle' spark was magnified by the way he voiced out for a purpose much larger than himself, evidenced over and over again in the people whose lives he led and touched. 

I did not know him personally. But his ethos of breaking barriers and uplifting others will stay with me. 

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*Like all grand figures, polarising opinions and experiences will follow. I couldn't write this without acknowledging the claims of sexual assault and harassment against him. While he deserves to be remembered as one of the finest high-altitude climbers of the modern era, his public legacy should also note the serious allegations he has denied but were never tested in court.