Nirmal Purja's stunning back tattoo and details explained after hiker dies in Pakistan avalanche
Nirmal Purja’s back tattoo meant an awful lot to the mountaineer who fell victim to a huge avalanche in Pakistan on Thursday (30 July).
The British-Nepali climber, 43, was leading an expedition of 10 climbers on the world’s 12th highest mountain when the avalanche struck around midday.
On Sunday (2 August), the Alpine Club of Pakistan said the 43-year-old's body was found about 5,700m up the mountain.
The three other bodies which were also discovered are yet to be identified.
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Purja, a former British Army and Royal Marines soldier, took to Instagram in 2019 to explain the meaning behind a tattoo across his back, depicting all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks, complemented by swirling clouds and Tibetan prayer flags.
“I always wanted to have a tattoo but I never knew what I really wanted until I came to know about @everence.life,” he wrote.
“Everence is a revolutionary technology that transforms a tattoo or a piece of jewelry into a way to carry a loved one or special experience with you forever.”
The ink used for his tattoo incorporated actual DNA extracted from hair samples of his wife, parents, and siblings so they would spiritually be on the dangerous journey with him.
“For me there was two reasons why I got an @everence.life tattoo. One was to take my family into the journey that I was undertaking, the journey that no human being has ever taken before. I wanted to take them with me to places they would never see,” he explained.
“And the second but most important: I knew I had to get back for my family at any cost.
“I knew I would push myself more than anything else but equally I didn’t want to break that thin line between being brave and being stupid.
“Having their Everence with me was a constant reminder that no matter what, I was making it home to my family.”
Purja achieved the impossible by climbing all 14 of the world’s mountains with peaks above 8,000 metres (26,247ft) in 189 days back in 2019, smashing the previous record by more than seven years.
The challenge was the focus of a Netflix documentary called 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
His company, Elite Expeditions, said he was among 10 people killed in the avalanche.
In a post shared to Instagram on Saturday, they said: “Today, it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that other members of this expedition sadly did not survive.
“Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy including his trusted climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa.
“Our deepest thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with their families, friends and loved ones. No words can erase the pain of this unimaginable loss, and we ask that everyone respects their privacy as they grieve.”
Topics: News, World News
Anish Vij