Sherpa Chewang Nima dies in avalanche

At the same time Talkeetna residents are hearing about the death of Joe Puryear,  a Nepalese Sherpa who spent time in Talkeetna this summer has died in an avalanche in the Himalyas.

43 year old Chewang Nima was helping guide a group on a Himalayan peak on Saturday when an avalanche struck.  Other climbers searched for Nima after the avalanche but did not find him. Poor weather has hampered search efforts there

He was famous for climbing Mt. Everest 19 times.  The record for summits on that mountain is 20.

Nima climbed with Vern Tejas on several Alpine Ascents International expeditions on Everest the past few years. Nima spent time on Denali this past climbing season learning from Denali climbing rangers and spent time with resident Todd Burleson guiding a yak expedition.

He leaves behind a wife and family in Nepal.