Latok I (2nd mountain f.l.)

A footballer would say: The ball wasn’t round. “The expedition has definitely run roughly,” Thomas Huber tells me about his trip to Latok I in Pakistan. As reported, the older of the two Huber brothers, along with German climbers Toni Gutsch and Sebastian Brutscher, had planned to tackle the north side of the 7145-meter-high granite giant in Karakoram this fall –only a few weeks after his 16-meter-fall from a rock face and a subsequent brain surgery. So the unbalance of the expedition began. “We could not get together as a team because I was so busy with my situation after the fall and the head injury,” Thomas concedes. “Nevertheless the motivation was high, and from my point of view the team fit perfectly. We maintained this euphoria, to Skardu, to Askole, to our Base Camp on the Choktoi Glacier. When we got there, everyone agreed: This is the place per se for climbing in highest perfection. But then everything ran differently.”

Only the skies

First, Thomas Huber’s help was needed in a rescue operation on nearby Ogre II (6,950 meters). The US climbers Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson were missing, after they had started to climb the North Face of the almost 7000er some days ago. “I had met them last year,” says Thomas. “They were really cool guys. They belonged to the best alpinists in the US.”
Huber knows the mountain massif well. In 2001, he succeeded, along with Swiss climbers Iwan Wolf and Urs Stoecker, the second ascent of Ogre I and the first ascent of Ogre III.
Thomas flew by rescue helicopter twice – in his pocket his emergency medication, because he did not know whether he would be able to stand the flight up to an altitude of 7,200 meters with his head injury. The 49-year-old had no problems, but there wasn’t any sign of the two missing climbers: “We searched the planned ascent route through the North Face, the summit region, the Northwest Ridge, via which they wanted to descend, even the crevasses at the foot of the wall. We did not find anything, really nothing.” Except for the skis of the two Americans at the access of the route.

The next rescue

Max Reichel’s rescue

Huber, Gutsch, and Brutscher climbed once more via the Northwest Ridge up to 6,200 meters, but again they didn’t discover any sign of Dempster and Adamson. The trio had to descend when the weather suddenly turned bad. The search was canceled. After all, the three Germans were now well acclimatized to tackle their own project on Latok I. “But the rescue operation had been on my mind all along, so much that I could not think of normal climbing during this first phase of the expedition.” Even in the second phase, that didn’t change. Max Reichel, the cameraman of the team, suffered from high altitude sickness due to a protracted myocarditis. Doctors in Germany said that he had to be brought back to civilization as soon as possible. Thomas accompanied his friend to a point 40 kilometers downhill, 1,000 meters lower. There Max asked Thomas to return to Base Camp to tackle his project. “That freed me completely,“ says Huber. „I just wanted to think of climbing, nothing else.”

Cold shower

He returned to Base Camp full of euphoria. There, however, a new “cold shower” awaited him – the last one. Huber’s team partners Gutsch and Brutscher told him that they were not willing any more to climb the North Face. “They said they had a bad feeling and didn’t see any chance to climb through the wall under these circumstances. They did not even want to try it.” Thomas Huber fell into a deep emotional hole: “Sadness, total disappointment, also rage. I just could not believe that at a moment’s notice they said they wanted to go home. I could not understand it.” From his point of view the conditions were “acceptable”: “Of course they were not optimal. The area was snowy, it was relatively cold. But there were no real avalanches in the wall, only spindrift. In addition, I thought that the situation would change in a positive way during some days of good weather. And the meteorologists predicted good weather.”  It was pointless for him to try to persuade the other two climbers, says Thomas: “I cannot set off to climb the wall with such partners, who have been mentally already at home for a long time.”

When the mountain gets bigger and bigger

Thomas Huber

For the 49-year-old, it was a deja vu. Also in 2015, his teammates – his brother Alexander, Swiss Daniel Arnold and Austrian Mario Walder – had outvoted him to abandon their Latok I expedition. “I cannot blame anyone saying: Thomas, maybe something is wrong with you,” says Huber. “It’s now 5-1 against me. And these five are really five top climbers. That beats me.” Maybe it is a question of mentality, says Thomas: “I am just someone who speaks less but rather goes to the mountain to learn what it offers and how to deal with it. There is often a lot of discussion in Base Camp. And I notice that during these discussions the mountain is mentally getting bigger and bigger and in the end impossible.” The momentum then falls by the wayside, Thomas means: “The big crux at Latok is not the wall, but the man. The secret of these walls is what they make out of people by and by. They have such a great power and charisma. On the one hand they are magnetic, on the other scary. You require considerable strength to remain defiant.”

The critical point

Despite his frustration, Thomas Huber has not yet banned the Latok I North Face out of his mind, but he does not yet want to set a date for another attempt. “I’m not afraid of this wall and this mountain. I know I’ll be back,” says Thomas. “I’m just afraid that I’ll be back with a team that again says: No, we don’t want to go.” In hindsight, it was a mistake to set off without having climbed a lot together before, Thomas believes: “These mountains belong to the most difficult in the world. If you tackle these mountains, you must be a team already before setting off. You must know how the others work. You also have to know the abysmal depths of their mind. Only then can you go to the limit.” Why then doesn’t he choose his brother Alexander as his partner, with whom he has already climbed and experienced so much in the mountains? “My brother does not want to go to the North Face, that’s perhaps the critical point,” says Thomas.

Alexander Huber in Innsbruck

The Huber brothers will continue to go on joint expeditions, but probably not to Latok I. Whereas Thomas Huber raved about the still unclimbed North Face of the 7,145-meter-high granite mountain in the Karakoram when I met him three weeks ago, his younger brother Alexander seems to have definitely written off the project due to their experiences last summer. I talked to the 46-year-old climber at the Alpine Trade Fair in Innsbruck last week.

Alexander, on Latok III, during your acclimatization for climbing the North Face of Latok I, you were are almost blown out of the wall by the blast wave of an ice avalanche. Your brother told me that never before it had been so close. Have you felt like he did?

It was definitely close. We had noticed the serac and therefore placed our camp far away from it. We were lucky that we had dug out a small platform to position the tents perfectly. The small snow edge of this platform has saved our lives. Otherwise we would have been blown away. In this respect, our risk management worked. But it was much, much closer than I ever imagined. And that’s shocking.

Did this extreme experience break your morale to tackle your original goal, the North Face of Latok I?

Yes, it broke our morale. But even if the serac had not collapsed, we would have noticed the bad conditions on the mountain the next day. We would have realized that it was impossible to climb further up and that we shouldn’t be there under such conditions and at such high temperatures.

Alex, Mario and Dani (l. to r.) at the summit of Panmah Kangri

What is your feeling when you remember this expedition?

I can accept it very well because it even was as it was. Mario (Walder), Dani (Arnold) and I climbed a small six-thousander at the end. In respect of mountain sports, that was not relevant at all because it was one dimension of difficulty lower than Latok I. But for me, it was a wonderful experience that I will always associate with this trip to Pakistan. To my mind, the expedition has got a name now: first ascent of Panmah Kangri, 6,046 meters, a beautiful free-standing mountain. Even though it is not extreme, we just have to be satisfied that finally everything turned out all right. We couldn’t achieve more than we did. If you have a problem dealing with this, you shouldn’t go to the mountains. We are doing an outdoor sport where the conditions decide whether we can climb or not. If you don’t want this, you have to look for another sport.

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Last year, you had already planned to go to Latok I but then called off your expedition due to the uncertain political situation in Pakistan. How did you experience the country this time?

In Baltistan, it was peaceful. In my view, there was no danger in the mountains. You can’t compare the situation there with this on Nanga Parbat. Whereas Nanga Parbat is easily accessible, the mountains of the Karakoram are remote and in addition located in a Shiite region where the Taliban are usually not as strong. I felt very safe in Baltistan. But if it had been possible, I would have avoided traveling on Karakorum Highway. Terrorism is a cold danger that you don’t sense. It only turns to be hot when it happens. You are traveling there in a state of continuing uncertainty. We didn’t notice any danger on Karakorum Highway, we saw nothing. But that doesn’t mean that it is really safe.

Alexander (r.) and Thomas – in the Karakoram last summer

Are you still fired up for the North Face of Latok I?

It is clear to me: The North Face of Latok I is so incalculably dangerous that I feel no more motivation to tackle it. I’m looking for other difficult goals without this incalculable risk.

Do you speak as a family father?

No, that has nothing to do with the fact that I have a family. I do love my life and want to experience it. Also in the past, I back-pedaled when I thought that the goals were too dangerous.

It’s a sign of strength to be able to do so.

I mean, this is absolutely necessary. Gamblers have never got far in the mountains. It is still possible to become well-known very quickly with relatively little skills but high willingness to take risks. But there are enough examples to prove that it doesn’t go well for a long time.

Thomas and Alexander Huber, Dani Arnold, their Pakistani companion Rasool, Mario Walder, Seppi Dabringer (from right)

The eternal attraction of Latok I. There is hardly another seven-thousander that has been such a hard nut to crack for top climbers from all over the world for the past decades. The first ascent of the highest of the four Latok summits was made 36 years ago. The Japanese Tsuneo Shigehiro, Sin’e Matsumi and Yu Watanabe succeeded on 19 July 1979. They had climbed up from the south via a buttress to the east East Ridge and from there to the highest point. More famous because notorious are the still unconquered North Ridge – and the also unclimbed North Face. This summer, the “Huberbuam”, the German brothers Alexander and Thomas Huber, will try to master this big wall.

Only postponed

Already last year, the Huber brothers had wanted to tackle the North Face of Latok I. “The project has already been tried many times by really good climbers. But so far, the wall has resisted vehemently”, Alexander told me then. “We need a lot of luck to be successful. But my goodness, if you do not try you can not make it.” Just before the scheduled departure the climbers called off the expedition due to the uncertain situation in Pakistan. Not canceled, only postponed.

Strong team

The North Face of Latok I

Yesterday the team of the Huber brothers left Skardu in Baltistan heading for Latok I, where they are expected to arrive today or tomorrow. The team includes the Austrian cameraman Seppi Dabringer and two more climbers: the 37-year-old Mario Walder from Austria and the 31-year-old Dani Arnold from Switzerland. Mario has already been on expedition with the Huber brothers several times. In 2009 they succeeded in free climbing the legendary route “Eternal Flame” on the 6251-meter-high Nameless Tower in the Karakoram, doing it for the first time redpoint, means in one push without fall. Dani has recently made headlines in particular with his speed records on Matterhorn and Eiger in Switzerland. In 2013 he made the third winter ascent of the legendary 3128-meter-high Cerro Torre in Patagonia, along with Thomas Huber (and Stephan Siegrist and Matias Villavicencio). Thus it is really a strong team that will try to climb the North Face of Latok I.

Their next coup on Choktoi Glacier?

The 48-year-old Thomas and the 46-year-old Alexander Huber have pitched their tents on the Choktoi Glacier several times during their long climbing career. So in 1997, when they succeeded in first climbing the 2.000-meter-high West Face of Latok II (along with their compatriot Toni Gutsch and the American Conrad Anker) – a milestone in big wall climbing. In 2001, Thomas (and the Swiss Urs Stoecker and Iwan Wolf) made the second ascent of the extremely challenging 7285-meter-high Ogre, a neighboring peak of the Latoks. All Ogre expeditions before had failed since the first ascent by the British climbing legends Chris Bonington and Doug Scott in 1977. Maybe the next coup of the “Huberbuam” in this area will follow this summer: on the North Face of Latok I.

Alexander Huber

2013 was an unusual year for Alexander Huber. The younger of the two Huber brothers was not on expedition, in contrast to his brother Thomas. Instead, the 45-year-old climber published a book (there is no English version yet), in which Alexander commits to fear as open as probably no climber did before. I met him at Leverkusen near my hometown of Cologne where he was holding a lecture. 

Alexander, when will we see you on expedition again?

The next expedition is coming soon. By mid-June we will start to the Karakoram. Let’s see what will happen.

Do you reveal your plan? 

We go to the North Face of Latok I (with 7145 meters the highest peak of the Latok group). The project has already been tried many times by really good climbers. But so far, the wall has resisted vehemently. We need a lot of luck to be successful. But my goodness, if you do not try you can not make it.

Latok group and Ogre (r.)

Do you still have more climbers in your team?

Yes, there will be Mario Walder from East Tyrol in Austria and the Swiss Dani Arnold who is known for his technical and conditional strength. This is exactly what we need: a strong team that fits together well.

In 2013 you took in some respect a sabbatical. Do you feel in top shape now?

What makes you think that I had a sabbatical?

You have not been on expedition since 2012 on Baffin Island or am I wrong?

Actually, last year we wanted to climb free a new route on the Freney pillar (on Mont Blanc). Then Thomas left for Patagonia relatively quickly and I was without my climbing partner. I just did not find a partner who was strong enough to bring this project to an end. You need not only the right shape at the right time but also the right people because you are in a rope team, unless you are climbing free solo.

Apropos, you are now also a family man having three young children. Does this mean the end of your free solo projects?

I can not say for sure. What I will do in the future, depends little on the fact that I have a family. I do not know if I will realize another free solo project. What I do know is that we will try to climb via the North Face of the 7000er Latok I in the Karakoram. We’ll see what comes of it. What we do afterwards, depends on what will happen to us there.

The Karakoram mountains are in Pakistan. Do you have a strange feeling if you think of the political situation in the country and that you will travel there soon?

Of course the political situation is anything but funny and imposes a problem for us too. You are very limited after having arrived in the country. You cannot move freely because tourists are a possible target for the Taliban. The only area where we feel safe is Baltistan itself. When we arrive in the town of Skardu, we are in a pure Shiite area. The Baltis are Shiites and the people of Hunza are Ismailis, they have very little in common with the Taliban. Therefore, it is a Taliban-safe region, while Nanga Parbat for example is not.

Alexander climbing Mount Asgard on Baffin Island

When I googled your name in the past six months, it sometimes seemed to me that you had become an expert for fear because of the book that you published. Have you broken a taboo by dealing with this issue so intensely as a mountaineer?

This is my own experience that I have made with fear in my life. Not just on the mountain, where the fear is my best friend anyway because it guarantees that I survive, but also in everyday life. I once had an anxiety disorder and realized that I needed treatment. And I’m even thankful that I someday made ​​the move to seek help. That was actually the way to recovery. If you run away from fear, it becomes your greatest enemy. However, if you face your fear, you can make friend with it. This has led me to give the book its title: “The fear, your best friend” is no provocation but meant absolutely seriously.

Did you get feedback also from the mountaineering scene? Climbers often claim to be wild guys without fear.

This is fundamentally wrong. Of course a climber has to be scared. If he has no fear, he will not climb for a long time.

But he usually does not commit to his fear.

This is certainly a tenor of my book, which has changed a lot in the scene. But I did not get a lot of feedback from there, instead much more from normal ​​life. Many people who come to my lectures tell me that my book has not only given them hope, but can also be a good guide in life.

You are 45 years old. At this age many men fall into a midlife crisis, extreme climbers too?

As an athlete, you deal much earlier with the midlife crisis because the physical strength is decreasing much earlier than at 45. I am perfectly aware of the fact that I can not continue forever to be a mountaineer of world class level. Maybe I can succeed in doing some special actions, but not because of the bare physical power that I have – which is already far in the past – but because of tactical understanding , experience and mental strength, which is very important. Well, maybe I will have the one or other success, but it’s not a must.