Village of Gandao in northern Pakistan

Again, a mountainous region was hit. Yesterday, nearly half a year after the devastating earthquake in Nepal, which had killed closed to 9,000 people, the earth trembled in northern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The number of registered deaths has been rising to nearly 400 so far and reportedly several thousand people were injured. As after the quake in Nepal, the rescue teams have not yet reached many remote mountain valleys in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Roads are blocked by landslides. Along the Karakoram Highway, the main connecting axis to the north, 45 landslides were recorded. Meanwhile more than half of the blocked places have been cleared up again. Landslides were also reported from the area around Skardu, the town that many climbers know because it is the starting point of most expeditions to the Karakoram.

More than 200 km below the mountains

Epicenter of the quake (© USGS)

The US Geological Survey (USGS) and the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam located the epicenter of the earthquake 212 km below the Hindu Kush Range: in the Afghan province of Badakhshan, about 30 kilometers north of the 6,843-meter-high mountain Kuh-e Bandaka. The USGS stated that the quake was “the result of reverse faulting”, means: a stratum moves up at the edge of another one. The tremors reached a magnitude of 7.5. For comparison: the 25 April earthquake in Nepal was measured 7.8. The tremors were felt in Tajikistan, the western Chinese province of Xinjiang, northern India and Nepal too. It will probably take a few weeks to get an overview of the full extent of damage. My thoughts are with the earthquake-hit people in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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 …