“He Made Every Mountain Feel Safer”: Mingma G Remembers Kilu After Broad Peak Tragedy

KATHMANDU, August 11, 2026

Celebrated Nepali climber Mingma G Sherpa has remembered his longtime friend and expedition partner Kili Pemba Sherpa, popularly known as Kilu, following Kilu’s death in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan on July 30. The two climbers shared years of expeditions and a strong personal bond rooted in Nepal’s Rolwaling region, and Mingma said Kilu’s reliability in dangerous conditions made him one of the people he trusted most in the mountains.

A Partner Mingma Trusted Completely

Mingma’s tribute focused less on summit statistics and more on the sense of confidence Kilu brought to every expedition.

Recalling their time together, Mingma wrote, “With Kilu by my side on any mountain, I never once felt the grip of fear, and his presence was my anchor.”

For Mingma, Kilu was not simply another member of an expedition team. He was someone whose experience, judgment and calmness allowed the people around him to climb with greater confidence.

A Friendship Built In Rolwaling

Kilu came from Beding in Rolwaling Valley, Dolakha, a Himalayan community with a long tradition of producing accomplished mountaineers.

Mingma and Kilu shared the same mountain environment from an early age, and that connection eventually developed into years of climbing together on some of the highest and most difficult peaks in the world.

In his remembrance, Mingma described Kilu as modest, hardworking and dependable. He said Kilu frequently took responsibility during difficult climbs and was known for helping others rather than seeking attention for himself.

A Historic Career In The Himalayas

Kilu had built an exceptional mountaineering record over several decades.

Shortly before his death, he completed the enormous challenge of climbing all 14 mountains in the world higher than 8,000 metres. His final peak in that journey was Nanga Parbat, which he summited on July 3, 2026.

The accomplishment placed him among the relatively small group of climbers to have successfully reached the summit of every eight-thousander.

For Mingma, the timing made Kilu’s death even more painful. After spending years working toward the achievement, Kilu had only a few weeks to live with the milestone before the Broad Peak accident.

Part Of Nepal’s Historic K2 Winter Ascent

Kilu was also a member of the 10-man Nepali team that made history on January 16, 2021 by completing the first winter ascent of K2.

Before that expedition, K2 was the only one of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders that had never been successfully climbed during winter.

The team’s achievement became one of the most celebrated moments in the history of Nepali mountaineering and helped bring international attention to the skills and contributions of Nepal’s high-altitude climbers.

Helping Climbers Reach Difficult Goals

Kilu’s career was not only about reaching summits himself.

He spent years working as a high-altitude guide, helping international climbers accomplish goals that required enormous physical and mental resilience.

Among them was Chinese climber Xia Boyu, a double amputee who reached the summit of Mount Everest in 2018. Kilu also supported Russian climber Rustam Nabiev, another double amputee, during his successful Manaslu expedition.

These expeditions reflected the role Kilu often played throughout his career — supporting others while quietly carrying significant responsibility on the mountain.

Fifteen Everest Summits

Over the course of his climbing career, Kilu reportedly reached the summit of Mount Everest 15 times.

His first successful Everest ascent came in 2003, beginning a long career that later included expeditions across Nepal, Pakistan and other major Himalayan climbing regions.

He was also involved in route preparation, rope fixing and high-altitude expedition work, responsibilities that are essential to many commercial and professional mountaineering expeditions.

Contribution To Manaslu’s True Summit Route

Mingma also remembered Kilu for his work on Manaslu, where the two climbers were involved in establishing access toward the mountain’s true summit.

For years, controversy had surrounded Manaslu expeditions because many climbers had stopped at a lower point rather than reaching the mountain’s actual highest summit.

The route work carried out by experienced climbers including Mingma and Kilu contributed to clearer access to the true summit, which later became increasingly used by expeditions.

Plans For A Memorial Statue

Mingma said Kilu’s friends and community plan to establish a statue in his memory.

A final site is expected to be selected in their home area, with Rolwaling identified in reports as the intended region for the memorial.

The tribute is meant to preserve Kilu’s story beyond his climbing records and allow younger generations to understand his contribution to Nepal’s mountaineering history.

A Call For Proper Recognition

Mingma also expressed hope that the climbers who lost their lives would receive appropriate recognition for the contribution they made to Nepal.

The bodies of Kilu, Gyalu Sherpa and Nima Sherpa were scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu on August 11 following recovery efforts in Pakistan.

Another Nepali climber, Pur Bahadur Gurung, who also died in the same incident, had already been repatriated earlier.

What Mingma Remembered About Kilu

Throughout his tribute, Mingma repeatedly emphasized Kilu’s personality rather than focusing only on his records.

He remembered him as someone who remained humble despite extraordinary achievements, worked hard without seeking recognition and stood beside his teammates during the most difficult moments of an expedition.

Mingma also reflected on the successful expeditions they had completed together and the deep level of trust that developed between them over the years.

Kilu’s completion of all 14 eight-thousanders, his role in the K2 winter ascent and his contribution to Manaslu were among the achievements Mingma highlighted while looking back on his friend’s life.

Remembered Beyond The Summits

Kilu leaves behind one of the strongest mountaineering records among Nepal’s high-altitude climbers, but Mingma’s tribute shows why his friends remember something else just as strongly.

For the people who climbed beside him, Kilu represented trust, stability and courage in an environment where a single mistake could have serious consequences.

His summit records will remain part of Nepal’s mountaineering history, but for Mingma G, the memory appears far more personal.

Kilu was the climbing partner whose presence made even the most dangerous mountains feel a little less frightening.