As rescuers recovered the body of climbing legend Nirmal Purja on Sunday, grief rippled hundreds of kilometres away in Nepal at the school where he first displayed the grit that would make him world-famous.

At the Small Heaven School in Chitwan district, friends, teachers and students gathered around a framed photograph of the 43-year-old British-Nepali climber, adorned with flowers.

Lighting candles, they shared with AFP their memories of the boy they knew long before he became one of the most celebrated figures in modern mountaineering.

“When he was missing, we were praying for him and spent sleepless nights,” Dhiraj Bahadur Panta, a school friend of Purja, told AFP, his voice quivering with emotion.

“It was not only me and my friends. I think people all over the world who knew him… prayed for him. But it was his fate; no one could avoid it.” Purja was killed alongside nine other climbers after they were caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak on Thursday.

News of his death has prompted heartfelt tributes from across the climbing community and beyond, with figures such as Britain’s Prince William offering condolences.

Purja arrived at the boarding school in Nepal’s southern plains as a young boy before later joining the British Gurkhas, a path that eventually led him into elite military service and then to global mountaineering stardom.

He studied at the school for eight years, forging a close bond with fellow students and teachers.

‘Fearless’

On Sunday, students filed past his portrait, laying flowers and offering prayers as teachers remembered their courageous and disciplined pupil.

“Even when he was in class three, he was fearless and committed to achieving something,” Shailendra Baral, who supervised Purja in the school hostel, told AFP.

“He was honest and an obedient student, which made us happy. We found courage in him even when he was a child.” In 2019, Purja stunned the climbing fraternity by scaling the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over six months, shattering the previous record of seven years.

His feat was later chronicled in a Netflix documentary, helping inspire a new generation of climbers and elevating Nepal’s profile in a sport long dominated by Western adventurers.

In 2021, he was part of the historic all-Nepali team that completed the first winter ascent of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain and one of mountaineering’s most dangerous challenges.

In 2022, Purja received a hero’s welcome when he came to Chitwan for the screening of his documentary.
“I grew up here, running around with no shoes on,” he said in a social media post at the time.

“This is my hometown and so I wanted everyone here to see the film and inspire the younger generation.” For many of the students gathered on Sunday, Purja’s achievements were already part of the school’s folklore.

“It really feels bad to hear this news because we had always (heard) good things about him,” said student Sarbagya Paudel.

“His bravery has set a great example for our school. Not only has he made our school proud, but he has also brought pride to Nepal.

“It is heartbreaking to know that he is no longer with us. “