Winter Climbs 2014: Settling Into Base Camp And Close Call On Nanga Parbat

The focus of the winter climbing season in the Himalaya remains squarely on Nanga Parbat this year, with several teams attempting to complete the first winter ascent of that mountain. While conditions were less than favorable around the start of the New Year, things have improved somewhat now and acclimatization rotations have begun. The mountaineers have a considerable amount of work ahead of them in the weeks ahead, although one team narrowly averted disaster already and have had their decision to leave the mountain reaffirmed.

Last week I reported that German climber Ralf Dujmovits had decided to abandon his attempt at a solo summit on Nanga. While surveying the route, he noticed that there were two ice towers hanging over his intended path and he realized he would spend more than a day and a half climbing in their shadow. The two towers looked very precarious, as if they could collapse at any time, so Ralf decided he risk just wasn't worth the effort and decided to pack up his things and go home. Just a day after making that decision, Dujmovits and Polish climber Darek Zaluski narroly avoided an avalanche on the Diamir Face. Ralf wrote to Stefan Nestler about the incident saying that the duo were "very lucky" to have escaped unharmed. The two men descended to BC safely and are now presumably on their way back home.

Over on the Rupal Face, the team of Simone Moro, Emilio Previtali and David Gottler have been in BC for a bit over a week now. Simone and David have both spent a night at Camp 1 as they begin their acclimatization process, while also shuttling gear up the slope. In a recent update to their blog, they reported on the journey to BC, where they indicated that security on the road leading to the mountain is quite high. Following a high profile attack by terrorists in the Nanga Parbat Base Camp this past summer – during which 3 Pakistani soldiers and 10 foreign climbers were killed – officials in Pakistan are keen to make sure everyone is safe moving forward. To that end, the climbers received a military escort to the mountain, and a guard station with ten soldiers now sits along the road that leads to the peak. That level of security will hopefully allow the teams to climb without fear of another attack and simply concentrate on the mountain itself.


There have been few updates from the Polish "Justice For All" team in the past week. In the last report, they were preparing to fix ropes up to 6000 meters (19,685 ft), with several team members already acclimatizing above 5000 meters (16,404 ft). Whether or not those rope fixing efforts have been successful has yet to be determined, but it seems likely that they would have completed the task by now, provided the weather has been cooperative.

Finally, Italian climber Daniele Nardi is preparing to arrive on Nanga Parbat soon. He'll attempt a solo summit along the Diamir Face starting in late January. After properly acclimatizing, he intends to climb in alpine style, while avoiding any sense of competition with any of the other teams.

It interesting to see so much attention focused on a single mountain this winter. With all of the other 8000 meter peaks now climbed in winter – save K2 – it seems Nanga is the prize that most are interested in. Considering the number of fatalities during the winter season in recent years, it would appear that unless there is a potential first ascent to be had, most climbers have decided the risks just aren't worth the rewards. If Nanga Parbat is finally climbed in the winter, the same level of attention could then be focused on K2, a mountain that is far more treacherous to climb at any time of the year.

Stay tuned for more updates as warranted.

Winter Climbs 2014: Dujmovits Abandons Solo Nanga Parbat Expedition

Yesterday I posted an update on the winter climbing scene in Pakistan where several teams are hoping to make the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat this year. So far those attempts have been stymied by bad weather conditions that have included high winds, cold temperatures and lots of snow. But with the forecast improving over the next few days, it seemed as if the climbers were preparing to truly get their acclimatization process under way at last. For one climber however, the risks on Nanga are just too great, so he has elected to pull the plug and go home.

As noted in my previous update, German climber Ralf Dujmovits was hoping to make a solo climb of the mountain and had recently arrived in Base Camp where he had been weighing his options for the best approach. What he found was that his intended route was far more difficult to find that he had anticipated and that it was was more dangerous as well. Ralf discovered that there were two massive ice towers precariously balanced just above where he would be climbing. He also estimated that it would take him approximately a day and a half to move past those towers, which would have been an awfully long time to be stuck under their shadow. So, weighing all of this information out and considering how fearsome Nanga Parbat is in the winter under the best of circumstances, he decided it was best to pull the plug on the expedition rather than tempt fate.

With the decision made, Ralf will now leave Pakistan and head for home. He knew that climbing the mountain solo in winter was going to be a major challenge no matter what, but the conditions even more dangerous than he had anticipated. I think the term "discretion is the better part of valor" is an apt one here.

This won't be the only solo attempt on Nanga this season however. Daniele Nardi will be arriving in Pakistan later in the month and he will attempt a solo summit along the Diamir face too.

Winter Climbs 2014: News From Nanga Pabat

The winter climbing season is now in full swing with most of the attention this year being focused on Nanga Parbat. As previously noted, there will be three teams attempting to make the first winter ascent of that 8126 meters (26,660 ft) peak, with all of them now on the mountain and taking a long look at the challenges that await them.

The Polish Justice For All Team, which has been in Pakistan the longest, is reporting that they have gone as high as 5500 meters (18,044 ft), where they have stored gear in anticipation of eventually shuttling it up to Camp 1. But poor weather, including high winds and heavy snows, have kept them in Base Camp for now. The forecast indicates that things should be improving over the next few days, which will allow them to push ahead with their acclimatization and scout their intended route up the mountain.

The North Face Team consisting of Simone Moro, David Gottler and Emilio Previtali are also in BC where they are awaiting improved weather as well. They arrived after Christmas but have quickly set up camp but have been stymied by hurricane force winds thus far. With the weather set to take a turn for the better, they'll hopefully be able to start their acclimatization as well.


Ralf Dujmovits hopes to make one of the most epic climbs in mountaineering history by going solo on Nanga above 5500 meters. After acclimatizing on Aconcagua in mid-December, he barely stopped home in Germany before heading to Pakistan. He is now on the mountain and reports that conditions are not great all around. His intended route passes below two precarious ice columns, which appear as if they could collapse at any time. Worse yet, conditions there are making for slow going, and his route would leave him in the shadow of those columns for a good day and a half of climbing, a risk he's not sure he wants to take at this point. The heavy snows have covered the intended route as well, which is making it difficult to spot. All of these challenges are in play, before he has even begun the ascent of Nanga, which is considered one of the most dangerous and difficult mountains in the world.

ExWeb is also reporting that Daniele Nardi will be heading to Nanga at the end of January and will be attempting a winter ascent as well. That is a bit of a late start to a winter climb, but should still provide plenty of time if conditions are right.

Finally, on a different note, Lonnie Dupre had been planning on having another go at a solo-summit of Denali in Winter, but has delayed that attempt until December of 2014. After three consecutive years on the mountain, he'll now take this January off and look ahead to next. As someone who has followed each of those previous expeditions, I'll miss following Lonnie's adventure this year.

More updates soon, as there will likely be more winter expeditions added shortly.

Video: Nanga Parbat In Winter

With the winter climbing season about to begin, it seems this year most of the focus will be on Nanga Parbat, the 8126 meter (26,660 ft) mountain located in Pakistan. Nanga remains one of just two 8000-meter peaks yet to be climbed in the winter, with the other being K2. With three teams heading to the mountain, I thought it was appropriate to share a video of what they can expect. The 4-minute clip below gives you an idea of what the Polish team endured last year on the mountain. Conditions will be similar this time out. Cold and snowy about sums it up.

Winter Climbs 2014: Ralf Dujmovits To Attempt Nanga Parbat Solo

A week ago I wrote a piece sharing early details on two teams preparing to attempt Nanga Parbat in winter. In that story, I mentioned that German climber Ralf Dujmovits might possibly be headed to the 8126 meters (26,660 ft) mountain as well. That as now been confirmed, although Ralf will be undertaking the expedition in a highly difficult and unusual fashion. It seems he will have a go at the first winter summit on Nanga completely on his own.

In an interview posted yesterday on Stefan Nestler's blog, Dujmovits discussed his little project. The 52-year old climber, who is the first German to climb all 8000 meter peaks, knows Nanga Parbet well, which he believes will help him in this solo summit. Ralf notes that he, and wife Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, believe that NP is the most beautiful of the eight-thousanders, which has inspired him to return to attempt this daring climb.

According to the article, the German climber has just wrapped up an acclimatization climb on Aconcagua, the tallest peak in South America at 6962 meters (22,841 ft). After spending two nights on the summit, Ralf ended that expedition, he flew home briefly to see Gerlinde before leaving for Pakistan yesterday. He's now en route to Islamabad, where he'll finish up his prep work before heading to the mountain. With the official start of winter now just a few days off, he'll be eager to get things started for sure.

There is no doubt that Ralf is amongst the best climbers in the world with an incredible amount of experience on his resume. But, as he admits in the article, he is not known as a winter climbing specialist. He has had 32 expeditions to 8000 meter peaks, which will prove useful on this climb too. But the cold months on Nanga Parbet are unlike any other time of the year, which is exactly why it has yet to be climbed in the colder months of the year. Of all of the eight-thousanders, only K2 holds that distinction.

In the months ahead, it will be interesting to follow Ralf's progress and see how he fares. This will be one of the most demanding winter climbs that we've seen in some time, and it would be an outstanding achievement if he can pull this off.