Purja, 43, also known as Nims, was the leading figure of the 10-member international team up Broad Peak, the world's 12th highest mountain, when the avalanche struck. "Nims of course was iconic and undisputedly amongst the best of his generation," says Ben Ayers, a longtime Everest reporter for Outside Magazine. Kili Pemba Sherpa and Pur Bahadur Gurung, who were also guiding the Broad Peak expedition, were "strong climbers with a solid resume", Ayers said. At the time, K2, the world's second highest peak, was the only one of the eight-thousanders not yet climbed in winter. But at 8,611m, K2 is known to be steeper, more unpredictable and deadlier than Everest (8,849m).