Remains found of American mountain climber who died in an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak

2026, August 20

Pakistan

This is the tragic conclusion to the Broad Peak avalanche disaster in Pakistan.

🏔️ What happened?

On 30 July 2026, an avalanche struck a 10-member international climbing expedition on Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain at about 8,051 metres, in Pakistan's Karakoram range. The climbers were between Camp 2 and Camp 3, at roughly 6,600 metres, when the avalanche swept them away. There were no survivors.

The expedition was led by Nirmal Purja, the famous British-Nepali mountaineer who climbed all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre peaks in a record 189 days in 2019.

🇺🇸 The American climber

The remains recovered Friday were those of Mallory Geis, 39, from San Antonio, Texas. She was attempting her first 8,000-metre peak. According to AP, she had recently closed her Pilates studio to devote herself to mountaineering.

Her remains were located by local volunteers searching the slopes. They were being moved to Broad Peak base camp and were expected to be transported to Skardu by Pakistan Army helicopter.

🕯️ All 10 climbers now accounted for

Geis had been the last missing member of the expedition. Earlier searches recovered the remains of the other nine climbers, although recovery was extremely difficult because of deep snow, dangerous terrain and continuing avalanche risks.

The victims came from several countries, including Nepal, Pakistan, China, Oman and the United States.

The disaster is a stark reminder of how dangerous the world's highest mountains remain—even for highly experienced climbers. On Broad Peak, the combination of extreme altitude, unstable snow, steep terrain and rapidly changing weather can make rescue operations extraordinarily difficult.