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.

The summit, seen form Camp 3

“Only five are left. We don’t give up now“, Tamara Lunger writes on Facebook. The 29-year-old South Tyrolean mountaineer and her Italian team partner Simone Moro hope for better weather on Nanga Pabat. Snowfall is predicted until the weekend, in addition a strong wind is blowing at the 8125-meter-high summit, which currently makes an ascent impossible. The other team still staying in Base Camp, the Spaniard Alex Txikon, the Italian Daniele Nardi and the Pakistani Ali Sadpara, are also waiting for an end of the bad weather.

The trio has secured the Kinshofer route, the normal route, with fixed ropes up to Camp 3 at 6,700 meters. “The hardest job is already done, we’ve got the route and our minds amplely prepared for going for summit push as soon as weather gives us a proper chance“, writes Alex adding that it will not be necessary to fix anything else further up to the summit “if conditions do not change“. But exactly that might be the problem if it should continue snowing heavily over the coming days.

Never again to Nanga Parbat?

The Pole Tomek Mackiewicz and the Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol have started their journey home. Both had reached an altitude of about 7,500 meters during their summit attempt late last week, before they had been driven back by the freezing cold. Tomek was afterwards so frustrated that he announced he would not return to Nanga Parbat any more and perhaps even give up his Himalayan mountaineering career. Mackiewicz had tried to scale the ninth highest mountain for six consecutive winters but had always failed. Meanwhile there is increasing information that the Polish “Nanga Dream“ team has also abandoned its expedition on the Rupal side of the mountain. Marek Klonowski and Pavel Dunaj had climbed up to 7,500 meters on the Schell route late last week.

Update 1 p.m.: Tamara Lunger and Simone will switch over to the Kinshofer Route and join forces with Alex Txikon and Co. “I think together we can help and motivate better and maybe we are able to do a big thing!“, Tamara writes on Facebook.

Tomek Mackiewicz on ascent

The first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat is in the air – say my gut instincts. Sunny days and clear nights are expected on the eighth highest mountain on earth until the weekend. The wind is to calm down, to a speed of just ten kilometers per hour on Friday. That sounds like ideal conditions for a summit attempt – if we can still speak of it in winter at all. After all, the temperature at the 8,125-meter-high summit is about minus 40 degrees Celsius. Maybe the reason for my optimistic gut feeling is simply that the teams on Nanga Parbat are currently rather stingy with information. Almost as if they are fully focused on climbing and don’t want to be distracted by „public relations“.

Short weather window

Elisabeth Revol in Camp 2

For days, we have not heard anything from the Italian duo Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger, who are ascending on the Messner route on the Diamir side of the mountain. The Pole Tomek Mackiewicz and the Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol, climbing on the same route, are more communicative. From Camp 2 at 6,000 meters, Tomek today talked via satellite phone with the Polish Radio journalist Bartosz Styrna. Gusts of wind with a speed of up to 100 km/h had pulled at their tent, Mackiewicz said. They plan to climb further up tomorrow. “We have only a very short time frame of two to three days maximum”, said Tomek. “We have to fight. It will be an uphill struggle.”

Bielecki and Czech left

The Spaniard Alex Txikon, the Italian Daniele Nardi and the Pakistani Ali Sadpara are also expecting this hard fight on the Kinshofer route, the normal route. They have climbed up to an altitude of 6,500 meters and fixed the route where needed. Nardi got off lightly from a fall near Camp 2. The Polish climbers Adam Bielecki and Jacek Czech, who had actually announced to join their forces with the trio, have meanwhile abandoned their expedition and left the Base Camp. Bielecki believed that he had no more chance to reach the summit due to his hand injury after an 80-meter-fall some days ago.
On the Rupal side of Nanga Parbat, the “Nanga Dream” team is working their way up the Southsouthwest ridge. Even from these mountaineers, we hear next to nothing. I am standing firm on this: There is something in the air.

Update 21 January: Tomek and Elisabeth pitched their Camp 4 at 7,200 meters. If things work out, they could reach the summit on Friday or Saturday. The calm winter weather is to continue. So keep your fingers crossed! Meanwhile Simone and Tamara descended to Base Camp.

Rupal side of Nanga Parbat (© The North Face)

“He who says patience, says courage, endurance, strength”, Baroness Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach once wrote. Of course the Austrian writer, who lived from 1830 to 1913, meant it generally. But with her words she described almost exactly the characteristics that are needed to climb an eight-thousander such as Nanga Parbat in winter. After more than two dozen unsuccessful winter expeditions, courageous, persistant and strong climbers try again to scale the ninth highest mountain on earth this winter. Currently, the attempt of the Russians Nickolay Totmjanin, Valery Shamalo, Serguey Kondrashkin and Victor Koval on the Rupal side, the south side of Nanga Parbat, seems to be the most promising try. After all, they worked up to an altitude of 7150 meters. “The whole route is about eight km. We fixed already 700 meters of very hard winter ice”, the four climbers from St. Petersburg wrote on Twitter. They said they encountered that type of ice almost everywhere above 6,000 meters. Dangerous blue ice was also one of the reasons why Tomek Mackiewicz from Poland and German David Goettler had returned on this route at 7,200 meters in winter 2014.

In short: Too risky

Elisabeth Revol in Camp 4 at 7,000 meters

This year, Tomek switched to the north flank of the mountain that looked more promising. His summit attempt with the Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol on the Diamir side ended – as reported – at 7,800 meters. Only Zbigniew Trzmiel from Poland climbed 50 meter higher on Nanga Parbat in winter, during his failed attempt in 1997.
“We had no chance to reach the top”, Mackiewicz said. “Too cold, too windy, the weather too unpredictable – in short too risky”, Revol summarized after her return to France the reasons why they turned around 300 meters below the summit.  “When I reached out, I could ‘feel’ the summit with the touch of my finger. It was very close. My heartbeat increased, but we were to remain calm. It was frustrating; wasn’t easy to turn around, especially when you look at all the progress made ​​so far.” When  descending a snow bridge collapsed under Tomek, the climber from Poland fell 50 meters deep into a crevasse. Mackiewicz was lucky. He survived with thigh muscle and rib injuries and was able to free himself out of the crevasse with Elizabeth’s help. For Mackiewicz and Revol the expedition was completed. Both travelled home. The Italian Daniele Nardi stays on the Diamir side. He will be now joined by an Iranian team as well as by the Basque Alex Txikon who – in a team with two Pakistani climbers – also wants to scale Nanga Parbat first time in winter. Will there be enough courage, endurance and strength? So far, the mountain has held even the most patient winter candidates at bay.

Nanga Parbat (seen from Diamir basecamp)

Does Nanga Parbat show its teeth again? More than 20 winter expeditions already failed on the 8125-meter-high mountain in Pakistan. Beside K 2, Nanga Parbat is the only eight-thousander which has still not been scaled in winter. That’s why the “Naked Mountain” has been an attractive destination for professional mountaineers over the past years. The Polish climber Tomasz called Tomek Mackiewicz is trying to climb the  ninth highest mountain on earth for the fifth consecutive year. After having reached an altitude of about 7200 meters with the German mountaineer David Goettler on the south side of the mountain (Rupal side) last year, Tomek is now climbing on the northwest side (Diamir side). Today he and the Frenchwoman Elisabeth Revol returned safely from a summit attempt to base camp.

Tomasz Mackiewicz

Fall into a crevasse

They had climbed on the still unfinished route on the northern flank, which the South Tyroleans Reinhold Messner and Hanspeter Eisendle had opened up to an altitude of 7500 meters in 2000. Mackiewicz and Revol reached 7800 meters, not too far below the summit. For days there had been no contact with them. Now the Italian Daniele Nardi, who shares the base camp with Tomek and Elisabeth gave the all-clear via Facebook: “They’re fine. Tomek has a small problem in the leg because he fell into a crevasse. Nothing to worry about.“

One more aspirant: Alex Txikon

Alex Txikon

Two other expedition teams are on their way to the Diamir side. The Iranians Mahmood Hashemi, Reza Bahadorani and Iraj Maani are expected in base camp this weekend. There, Alex Txikon will pitch his tent too. After Chinese authorities refused to give a permit for his planned K 2 winter expedition with the Russian Denis Urubko and Adam Bielecki from Poland, the Basque decided to tackle Nanga Parbat. He will be joined by the Pakistani climbers Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Khan. Both come from villages in Baltistan: Ali from Sadpara, Khan from Machulu. “They’ve climbed many high mountains in the Himalayas, they are experienced and strong men, and I’m sure they will be very good partners”, Alex writes on his website.
On the Rupal side, a team from St. Petersburg in Russia is currently working up the mountain. Last news came five days ago saying that Nickolay Totmjanin, Valery Shamalo, Serguey Kondrashkin and Victor Koval had left base camp to push ahead the route.

Obrycki (l.) and Dunaj in the hospital of Skardu

“Time to go home!” Jacek Teler gets to the point. The Polish winter expedition to Nanga Parbat has been unsuccessful too. After the avalanche accident a week ago the last chance for another summit attempt was gone. Spring will start next Thursday. In Skardu the cherry trees are already blooming, Jacek writes in his blog. He has accompanied his team mates Pavel Dunaj and Michal Obrycki to the military hospital in the town where the injuries of the two climbers were treated. Both are doing well, under the circumstances. Pavel has suffered the more serious injuries by the avalanche: four broken ribs, his lung collapsed. However, all in all it could have been worse. Dunaj and Obrycki are still alive.

Will Tomek return? Almost sure!

Tomasz Mackiewicz

Tomek Mackiewicz stayed at the bottom of Nanga Parbat to break down the basecamp. Thus also the last of the four winter expeditions is ending. In December the Polish climbers were the first on the mountain, now they are the last to leave. Their endurance is really admirable. Like last winter, Tomek again reached the highest point of all aspirants. Together with David Goettler he climbed up to the Mazeno ridge on 7200 meters. In 2013 Mackiewicz had reached 7400 meters during his last solo attempt. Tomek has tried to climb Nanga Parbat for the last four winters – even though he has no financially strong sponsors. And I would bet that he will travel to Pakistan again in nine months.

Nanga Parbat is still unclimbed in winter, even after 21 attempts in 25 years. As K 2, the other remaining eight-thousander without winter ascent. But one day …

Tomek at 7200 meters (© The North Face)

If there were an “Oscar” for persistence, the Polish climbers on Nanga Parbat would deserve it. For more than 80 days now Tomasz, called “Tomek” Mackiewicz and his friends are already staying on the eight-thousander in Pakistan, still focussed on their great goal: the first winter ascent of the 8125-meter-high mountain. This weekend, they are climbing up again. On this Saturday Pawel Dunaj and Michal Obrycki should start – “to make a new track and to dig out the camp for Tomek, who will start with Jacek on Sunday,” we read on the Facebook page of the expedition “Justice for all”. So, obviously, Tomek Mackiewicz and Jacek Teler are to form the summit team at the fourth attempt.

“We are staying!”

David on the Mazeno ridge (© The North Face)

The first three were unsuccessful. At the last try Tomek and David Goettler – as reported – had reached the Mazeno ridge and thus a height of 7200 meters. Then David and his Italian partners Simone Moro and Emilio Previtali had ended their expedition – and as a matter of course everyone expected that Mackiewicz and Co. would also leave. Far from it: “We are staying!”, the Polish climbers announced. “We have plenty of food, plenty of gear, ropes are fixed. Simone has left us plenty of goodies:  parmesan cheeses, sausages, sleeping bags. We have a deposit and a tent in Camp 3, (…) plenty of power, another deposit in Camp 4. We will keep trying …”

Only less then two weeks left

They are tough – and thus in the best tradition of Polish mountaineers: They just like climbing in winter. Nine of the twelve first winter ascents of 8000ers were made by Polish expeditions. And on Shishapangma Piotr Morawski from Poland was part of the successful team (with Simone Moro). Only on Makalu (Moro and Denis Urubko) and Gasherbrum II (Moro, Urubko, Cory Richards) teams without Polish climbers were successful.

There is not much time left for Tomek and his friends on Nanga Parbat. In less then two weeks winter ends.

David during his summit attempt (© The North Face)

David Goettler is not only a fast climber, but also a speed responder. After I had written the report about the failed summit attempt on Nanga Parbat, I sent an email with some questions to the 35-year-old climber in Pakistan. I really didn’t expect a rapid response, because David had just arrived back at base camp and should actually need time to recover. However, an hour later I got the acoustic signal for a new message. His answers are rather brief, writes Goettler, “I’m still half on the mountain ;-).” Read it for yourself!

David, once again it was not to be. What a pity! A lack of your determination was not the reason.

No, I felt fit. But we also knew or noticed that the terrain up there was really challenging. This means that you must have still a lot of strength and concentration for the descent. In combination with only one reserve day  concerning the weather we decided that it was too close.

Have you agreed quickly or discussed at length?

We did agree immediately.

After Simone had to quit because of stomach trouble, you were suddenly in a two-climber-team with Tomek Mackiewicz. Had you to change over to this new situation?

Fore sure, it’s something different when you are suddenly climbing with another partner. Simone and I were a well-established team, and we have worked together well.

How hard was it for you to turn around so far up on the mountain?

These are not easy moments. Your mind is telling you that you are doing the right thing, but on the other hand you are thinking about whether a little more risk would be responsible.

What do you take back home as experience from three failed summit attempts on Nanga Parbat?

A time of intense moments, the loneliness and the incredible dimensions up here.

It was your first winter expedition to an eight-thousander. Can you imagine to try it again?

Right now it’s too early to say. But I had a very good time here, so why not?

The expedition is coming to an end. After eight weeks on the mountains, what are you looking forward to most of all?

To a time without wooly hat and long johns, but the most to my girlfriend!

David Goettler in basecamp (©The North Face)

Do the winter climbers find Nanga Parbat a hard nut to crack? A Polish expedition is on the 8000er in Pakistan for eight weeks now, an Italian-German Team for over six weeks. In the past week the second summit attempts of both teams failed. Simone Moro and David Goettler reached Camp 3, but returned because of the bad weather. I sent some questions to David in basecamp. The 35-year-old climber from the town of Munich replied promptly:

David, the second summit attempt was also unsuccessful, you stopped at 6800 meters. How difficult was it for you to turn back again?

This time it was a little harder. Because the weather was not so bad when we decided to turn around. But we knew that it wouldn’t work, and thus it was definitely the right decision. Also because it was really very cold! When we were still descending, clouds came in and it began to snow. Up on the mountain we would have had problems to orient ourselves. And on the following day the strong wind would have thwarted any summit attempt. All in all we have saved valuable power and avoided frostbite.

What about Simone’s and your morale, after six weeks on the mountain and two failed attempts. Is there any risk of cabin fever?

The morale is still tiptop! No danger of cabin fever or something else – which does not mean that it is easy for me to wait. On the contrary, I think that is the most difficult part of an expedition.

The team led by Tomek Mackiewicz has been on the mountain even two weeks longer than you and Simone. What do you think, how long will your Polish friends stand it?

Perhaps they’re even more persistent. I think they are like us: Everyone here will be happy to get home again. But we all want to climb this mountain. Therefore we do accept waiting!

Staying as long in high altitudes saps your energy. How fit do you feel yet?

I still feel good and fit. The day before yesterday I made a training ascent to ABC (advanced basecamp) and back. It took me only 38 minutes to climb up and 15 minutes to come down. That feels good when you are spending so many days in BC (basecamp). Weather permitting, I am also doing my daily yoga exercises in BC. I think we can recover well because of the low altitude of our BC.

Evening in high camp (©The North Face)

When are you planning your next summit attempt?

If I only knew! We must be patient, at the moment there is not good weather window in sight.

In your home a proverb is saying: “Three times is divine”. Are you hoping that this is also true for winter mountaineering at Nanga Parbat?

Of course! That would be the jackpot … but everything here is Inshallah.

Do you have to reach the summit to see this winter expedition as a success?

That’s why I came here. But I still know that our chance to get on top is very low. And I’m already more than satisfied!

Apart from K 2, Nanga Parbat is the only eight-thousander which has still not be climbed in winter. After your experiences on the mountain, do you now understand better why so many top climbers have already failed on Nanga Parbat?

I already knew that the rules in winter differ from those in summer. But sure, now, playing this game, I can understand it even better.

Why didn’t he go home?

The young Frenchman – so far a dark horse in high-altitude mountaineering – announced that he wanted to reach the 8125 meter summit solo and in alpine style, and afterwards would snowboard down. He later described in his blog more often, how bad his health was. „Today, I’m losing blood from my intestines. It’s great…”, Joel wrote on February 3, adding that he knew how to handle it. He ignored the logical consequenz of ending the expedition: „I prefer to stay here, even in storms, till the last moment.” On February 6, he wrote a last short post in his blog. Then he disappeared. Was it hubris, arrogance or loss of reality that did cost him his live? Or was he finally just unlucky?

Why did they separate?

Probably we won’t get answers to these questions regarding Joel. But maybe we get a clearer view in the case of the two missing Polish climbers on Broad Peak. Adam Bielecki and Artur Malek, who summited the mountain on March 5 together with Maciej Berbeka and Tomasz Kowalski, later returned to basecamp safely. After their return from Pakistan Adam and Artur maybe can answer the questions which came into my mind: Why did the four climbers reach the summit between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. local time, so late that they were forced to descend into the dark? Why did they separate? Why did Berbeka and Kowalski need almost eight hours to reach the pass on 7900 meters, three times longer as usual. Why didn’t Berbeka use his walkie-talkie? Why didn’t they have a light tent for bivouacing?

But in the end there will be left room for speculation – as in winter 2012, when the Austrian Gerfried Göschl, the Swiss Cedric Hählen and the Pakistani Nisar Hussein disappeared on Gasherbrum I. Too often climbers in the Himalayas and Karakorum take the secret of their fatal accident to the icy grave.