Nanga Parbat scaled for first time in winter
Along with K-2, Nanga Parbat was among the last of the 14 eight-thousanders which had not been climbed in winter
PHOTO: TWITTER
ISLAMABAD:
In a historic attempt, mountaineers from Pakistan, Spain and Italy have managed to climb the feared Nanga Parbat for the first time in the winter season.
“Ali Sadpara (Pakistan,) Alex Txikon (Spain) and Simone Moro (Italy) have reached the top of Nanga Parbat,” Karrar Haidri, a spokesman of the Alpine Club of Pakistan told AFP, confirming it was the first time the summit had been reached during winter months.
A fourth climber, Tamara Lunger of Spain, stopped just short of the summit for reasons which were not immediately known.
Climbers make first winter ascent of Pakistan's 'Killer Mountain' Nanga Parbat
At 8,126 metres (26,660 feet) Nanga Parbat is the world’s ninth highest mountain. It earned its grisly nickname of ‘Killer Mountain’ after more than 30 climbers died trying to conquer it before the first successful summit in 1953 in addition to claiming a number of mountaineers since. Along with K-2, Nanga Parbat was among the last of the 14 eight-thousanders which had not been climbed in winter.
The four climbers had been camped on the mountain’s Rupal face from at least mid-December, braving extreme weather including a number of snow storms, avalanches, high winds and freezing temperatures. The Rupal Face, rising more than 4,000 metres from base to top, presents one of the most difficult -- and tantalising -- challenges in climbing.
In the weeks leading up to the summit, they had tried multiple times but the weather, including heavy snow and high winds had pushed them back. But the climbers, all of whom have attempted a winter ascent of the mountain in the past five years, held on hoping another window would present itself soon.
With a weather window between February 23-24, the mountain did not allow them to start their ascent till February 22.
They managed to reach camp II at 6,100 meters on February 23 but a blizzard pinned them in their tents. But the following day the weather cleared up and allowed the teams to climb up to camp IV at 7,200m over the next two days.
Early on Friday morning, the climbers set out to attack the final 900m to the summit wary of the dangers they still faced on the way, after all it was on this final leg that Txikon and Sadpara lost their way and nearly died last year.
G-B jailbreak: Prisoner involved in Nanga Parbat attack killed
Sadpara, who has climbed Nanga Parbat twice in summer, had been leading the Spanish climber and Italian Daniele Nardi over the Kinshofer route but suffered from altitude sickness and took a wrong turn which took them to a dead end and left the climbers with no other choice but to return just a few hundred meters from the summit.
While Nardi had attempted to summit Nanga Parbat again this year, he returned in early February after developing differences with some of the other climbers
But history fortunately did not repeat itself on Friday as Sadpara, Txikon and Moro managed to reach the summit at a little after half past two in the afternoon.
“SUMMIT SUMMIT” Txikon wrote on his Twitter soon after reaching the top.
“We, Simone and Tamara’s team, want to say that we are HAPPY & PROUD of the all 4 athletes!!! And we look for a direct contact to them when they will be at C4,” a statement on Moro’s Facebook page followed.
By Friday evening, Txikon wrote on his Twitter page that all four climbers had managed to return to camp IV, and after resting will continue their descent on Saturday.
In 2013 gunmen shot dead nine foreign climbers and their Pakistani guide at the Nanga Parbat base camp -- one American with dual Chinese citizenship, two other Chinese, three Ukrainians, two Slovakians, one Lithuanian and one Nepalese. A Pakistani guide was also killed. However, the attack had failed to dissuade climbers who have returned to attempt the summit for each of the successive seasons.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2016.
In a historic attempt, mountaineers from Pakistan, Spain and Italy have managed to climb the feared Nanga Parbat for the first time in the winter season.
“Ali Sadpara (Pakistan,) Alex Txikon (Spain) and Simone Moro (Italy) have reached the top of Nanga Parbat,” Karrar Haidri, a spokesman of the Alpine Club of Pakistan told AFP, confirming it was the first time the summit had been reached during winter months.
A fourth climber, Tamara Lunger of Spain, stopped just short of the summit for reasons which were not immediately known.
Climbers make first winter ascent of Pakistan's 'Killer Mountain' Nanga Parbat
At 8,126 metres (26,660 feet) Nanga Parbat is the world’s ninth highest mountain. It earned its grisly nickname of ‘Killer Mountain’ after more than 30 climbers died trying to conquer it before the first successful summit in 1953 in addition to claiming a number of mountaineers since. Along with K-2, Nanga Parbat was among the last of the 14 eight-thousanders which had not been climbed in winter.
The four climbers had been camped on the mountain’s Rupal face from at least mid-December, braving extreme weather including a number of snow storms, avalanches, high winds and freezing temperatures. The Rupal Face, rising more than 4,000 metres from base to top, presents one of the most difficult -- and tantalising -- challenges in climbing.
In the weeks leading up to the summit, they had tried multiple times but the weather, including heavy snow and high winds had pushed them back. But the climbers, all of whom have attempted a winter ascent of the mountain in the past five years, held on hoping another window would present itself soon.
With a weather window between February 23-24, the mountain did not allow them to start their ascent till February 22.
They managed to reach camp II at 6,100 meters on February 23 but a blizzard pinned them in their tents. But the following day the weather cleared up and allowed the teams to climb up to camp IV at 7,200m over the next two days.
Early on Friday morning, the climbers set out to attack the final 900m to the summit wary of the dangers they still faced on the way, after all it was on this final leg that Txikon and Sadpara lost their way and nearly died last year.
G-B jailbreak: Prisoner involved in Nanga Parbat attack killed
Sadpara, who has climbed Nanga Parbat twice in summer, had been leading the Spanish climber and Italian Daniele Nardi over the Kinshofer route but suffered from altitude sickness and took a wrong turn which took them to a dead end and left the climbers with no other choice but to return just a few hundred meters from the summit.
While Nardi had attempted to summit Nanga Parbat again this year, he returned in early February after developing differences with some of the other climbers
But history fortunately did not repeat itself on Friday as Sadpara, Txikon and Moro managed to reach the summit at a little after half past two in the afternoon.
“SUMMIT SUMMIT” Txikon wrote on his Twitter soon after reaching the top.
“We, Simone and Tamara’s team, want to say that we are HAPPY & PROUD of the all 4 athletes!!! And we look for a direct contact to them when they will be at C4,” a statement on Moro’s Facebook page followed.
By Friday evening, Txikon wrote on his Twitter page that all four climbers had managed to return to camp IV, and after resting will continue their descent on Saturday.
In 2013 gunmen shot dead nine foreign climbers and their Pakistani guide at the Nanga Parbat base camp -- one American with dual Chinese citizenship, two other Chinese, three Ukrainians, two Slovakians, one Lithuanian and one Nepalese. A Pakistani guide was also killed. However, the attack had failed to dissuade climbers who have returned to attempt the summit for each of the successive seasons.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2016.