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.