Nanga Parbat

Nanga Parbat falls back into hibernation. After the 8125-meter-high mountain in Pakistan was bustling over the past years with expeditions who tried to climb it for the first time in winter, it now looks as if the “naked mountain” remains a lonely one in the coming months. This winter even the Polish climber Tomasz Mackiewicz will not change his living room – as he did in the last six years – with a cold tent on Nanga Parbat.

The main argument is gone

Successful team: Alex, Tamara, Simone and Ali (from l. to r.)

“The expedition to Nanga Parbat will be postponed to 2017/2018,” Tomek wrote on Facebook. In his words he has tried in vain to obtain financial support from the Polish government for another attempt. It shouldn’t have been easy for him to argue after the fall of the winter bastion Nanga Parbat: After numerous attempts the Italian Simone Moro, the Basque Alex Txikon and the Pakistani Muhammad Ali “Sadpara” finally succeeded the first winter ascent of the ninth highest mountain on earth at the end of last February. The fourth team member, the South Tyrolean Tamara Lunger, turned around just below the summit, because she was in poor health.

K 2 winter expedition not before 2017/2018

K 2

Not only on Nanga Parbat, but also on other eight-thousanders there is a winter low tide. An originally planned Polish expedition to K2, the only eight-thousander which is still unclimbed in winter, under the leadership of the winter old master Kryzsztof Wielicki, was also postponed for one year to 2017/2018. Also in this case, money was missing first. After all, financing by two state-owned companies seems to be now in the pipeline.

Pilot’s licence instead of winter climb

Tamara Lunger

Also maybe the winter after next, Tamara Lunger will try to climb Mount Everest. After her “almost Nanga summit in winter” it had been reported that the 30-year-old was now considering Mount Everest as a new winter goal. Already this year? “No,” Tamara writes to me. “I’m in America for taking my helicopter pilot’s licence.”

Secret about destination

And what else is going on? The Indian climber Arjun Vajpai has announced via Facebook a winter expedition to a seven-thousander in his home country. He still has not given notice which mountain he means. The 23-year-old has already climbed five eight thousanders: Mount Everest (as a still 16-year-old in 2010), Lhotse and Manaslu (both in 2011), Makalu in spring 2016 and Cho Oyu last October.