In the latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast, reporter Ben Ayers recounts the deadly avalanche on Broad Peak that killed ten climbers, and the dangerous recovery mission to bring their bodies home.
Published October 3, 2026 05:18AM
On July 30, a massive avalanche rumbled down the slopes of 26,414-foot Broad Peak in Pakistan, blanketing the mountain’s flanks in a cloud of snow and debris. The avalanche couldn’t have happened at a worse time. It hit just as ten climbers from multiple expeditions were slowly ascending to Camp III at 23,290 feet. Among the ten were veteran Sherpa guides, international climbing clients, and Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja, one of the biggest celebrities in high-altitude climbing. There were no survivors. In the latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast, Outside‘s mountaineering expert Ben Ayers used his deep contacts within the guiding industry to piece together the events of the disaster, as well as the dangerous mission to recover the bodies.
