David Lama

There is a proverb in German speaking countries saying: “Three times is divine”. Once again David Lama is currently tackling the still unclimbed 6895-meter-high Lunag Ri in Nepal – however, this time on his own from the very beginning. The technically difficult mountain is located in the Rolwaling Himal on the border between Nepal and Tibet, more than 35 kilometers as the crow flies northwest of Mount Everest. In 2015 and in 2016, the 28-year-old top climber from Austria had failed on the “almost seven-thousander”, both times about 300 meters below the summit – on the first attempt via the Northeast Ridge along with the experienced American climber Conrad Anker. Lama and Anker had also been team mates for the second try, but Conrad had suffered a heart attack on the mountain and had had to leave the expedition prematurely. David had then tried to reach the highest point solo over a slightly modified route – in vain. He had run out of time and strength.

As light as possible

David with Conrad Anker (r.) in 2016

“It was no longer about reaching the summit – that would have been suicidal – it was about gathering my strength to descend safely,” David summed up his experiences at that time. He hadn’t felt comfortable with his solo attempt: “What’s missing is the shared experience on the mountain, and the shared responsibility for success.” Also this time Lama asked Conrad Anker, who has meanwhile recovered from his heart attack, to join him on Lunag Ri. But the 55-year-old declined out of consideration for his family. So David decided to try it again solo – in contrast to 2016, however, planned. He wants to take as little material as possible with him on his solo ascent to the summit. “Being lighter en route, I can climb more often without using a rope,“ David said before his departure to Nepal in an interview with the Austrian daily “The Standard”.

Better fail than cheat yourself

David climbing on the Northeast Ridge of Lunag Ri

Lama is confident that he can reach the summit of Lunag Ri in his third attempt. But if not, David’s world would not collapse either. “For me, success is not defined by getting to the top of a mountain,” he once wrote. “It means that I live up to my own standards. If we are satisfied with setting humble goals, we are cheating ourselves. It is the courage to fail that makes the difference.”

Hansjörg Auer on top of Lupghar Sar West

This is a real milestone. The Austrian Hansjörg Auer says, he succeeded the first ascent of a big wall of a seven-thousander in the Karakoram – solo. “I climbed the West Face of Lupghar Sar West for the first time. I took a line on the left side and finished my route up the steep Northwest Ridge with very loose rock to the top at 7,157 meters,” the 34-year-old extreme climber wrote on Instagram. Hansjörg had set off to Pakistan in mid-June for his solo project. His originally planned climbing partner and friend Alexander Blümel had to call off due to health problems.

Four years of dreaming

The mountain seen from Hunza valley

“This ascent is very unique to me, because I was dreaming of it for the last four years,” writes Auer. “Since Kunyang Chhish East in 2013 (when he, his brother Matthias Auer and the Swiss Simon Anthamatten made the first ascent of this 7400-meter-high mountain in the Karakoram) I always wanted to know how it feels to be alone in high altitude. And I’m happy that I made this experience now.“

In memoriam Gerry Fiegl

Gerry Fiegl (1988-2015)

Hansjörg Auer dedicates the first ascent of the West Face to his late friend Gerry Fiegl. In fall 2015, Auer, Blümel and Fiegl had mastered the South Face of the 6839-meter-high Nilgiri South in western Nepal for the first time. Gerry had shown symptoms of high altitude sickness at the summit and had fallen to his death on the descent.

The rarely attempted seven-thousander Lupghar Sar – which means “top of the big rock” – has three almost equally high summits and is located in the Hunza region in northern Pakistan. The West Summit was first climbed on 18 June 1979 by the German brothers Hans and Sepp Gloggner, who were part of an eight-member expedition team from Tegernsee.

Lupghar Sar in northern Pakistan

“I expect for sure some intensive moments,” says Hansjörg Auer. The 34-year-old extreme climber from Austria set off to Pakistan last weekend for a solo project. Hansjörg will tackle the West Face of the 7,181-meter-high Lupghar Sar West. “For me, it will be a special kind of project to see if I can carry out the next step of my climbing career,” Hansjörg said in a video published on Facebook before his departure.

Climbing partner Blümel called off

Hansjörg Auer

Actually, he was planning to go on another expedition with his friend and climbing partner Alex Blümel. But Alex had to call off due to health problems. In November 2016, the two climbers had succeeded the first ascent of the North Face of the 7,005-meter-high Gimmigela East in eastern Nepal, in Alpine style, i.e. without fixed high camps, Sherpa support and bottled oxygen. In fall 2015, they had mastered, together with their compatriot Gerry Fiegl, the South Face of the 6,839-meter-high Nilgiri South for the first time in western Nepal. Fiegl had shown symptoms of high altitude sickness at the summit and had fallen to death on their descent.

Special taste

Free Solo in the Marmolada South Face

Also beyond the climbing scene, Auer had become famous for his spectacular free solo climbs in the Alps. In 2007, for example, he made headlines worldwide when he climbed the difficult Fish route through the South Face of Marmolada in the Dolomites for the first time free solo. So it is nothing new for Hansjörg to climb alone. But on an expedition? “Now I won’t be able to count on my friends to help me in the decision making,” Auer said in an interview with planetmountain.com, “and as I see it this lends the project a very special taste. If I’m honest and ask myself why, then this is a taste I’m always looking for somehow.” He would certainly feel “even more exposed”, said Hansjörg: “I’m intrigued to find out if I’ll have lot of fun or if I’m going to get scared and come back after three weeks. It’s going to be a completely new experience.” Only in the base camp, a cook and a Pakistani companion will be waiting for Auer.

Rotten rock

The mountain seen from Hunza valley

The rarely attempted seven-thousander Lupghar Sar – which means “top of the big rock” – has three almost equally high summits and is located in the Hunza region in northern Pakistan. The West Summit was first climbed on 18 June 1979 by Hans and Sepp Gloggner, who were part of an eight-member expedition team from Tegernsee in Germany. The brothers climbed via the Southwest Ridge, “over terribly rotten rock “, as Hans Gloggner later reported in the “American Alpine Journal”: “Slabs and blocks of rock teetered on the slope, held by an insecure mortar of ice. We finally reached the top so late in the day that we had to make a miserable summit bivouac. The climb had been so dangerous that no further summit climbs were made (on this expedition).” Hansjörg Auer has chosen an extremely ambitious goal for his solo adventure.