Nirmal Purja Instagram – As I make my way towards the Big Mountains in Pakistan, I cannot help but reflect on all the previous times I have stood on the summits of those 8,000ers.
Last year, together with my team, we led and guided our clients to some big world firsts. It was tough in 2023, but it was so joyful to run expeditions on all the Pakistan Big 5 mountains. To guide and lead without oxygen and do all 5 in just 26 days (a new record for me and for my clients), that is such an amazing memory.
But I cannot think of the expedition without paying tribute to Muhammad Hassan, the climber who died on K2 last year. My private group summited the day after the incident and we did not hear what had happened until it was too late.
If we all take a moment to reflect on the harsh realities of mountaineering, we recognize that fairness and respect should be central to our community. It’s not about pointing fingers but about ensuring that every life is treated with the same value. Let’s start treating people with the fairness and respect they deserve. Whenever I think about inequality and conflict, it makes me sad. The way it works for me is I force myself to remember each day that “one day I will die too.”
As a Big Mountain community, it is our responsibility to work together to make this industry as safe as it can be – climbing will always have inherent risks. But I believe we need to keep learning, keep trying to make mountaineering safer and keep raising the names of the Sherpas, guides, and porters who work tirelessly to help others achieve their dreams.
I will never stop working to try and make the Big Mountain community better, more inclusive, and diverse. I want to try and make Big Mountain tourism more sustainable and provide sustainable, well-paid opportunities for the community – so that the Big Mountain community will continue to thrive both now and in the future. I pay tribute to Muhammad – may you rest in peace brother, and may your true legacy always shine through.
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