Different Strokes on Nanga Parbat
Pakistan climbs this year will range from attempts at a bold new route and the first ski descent of the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat to ultra-commercial approaches. The climbing styles seem worlds apart, yet they reflect both how much the high-altitude scene has changed and how some climbers continue to tackle big mountains in the spirit of classical adventure.
Denis Urubko and Maria Cardell climbed their last acclimatization peak near Skardu today, June 11. They summited a 4,560m peak and climbed 4,000 vertical meters in a day. Now, they’re moving to Nanga Parbat for their main goal: a new route up the Diamir Face.
The last climbers to attempt a new route on an 8,000m peak in Pakistan were Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima. The Japanese pair targeted a new line on the West Face of K2 last summer, after years of preparation. The veteran pair had previously opened routes on Rakaposhi, Shispare, and Tirich Mir, winning Piolets d’Or for each of them.
In the end, they perished on K2. Before them, the last person to attempt a new route on one of Pakistan’s five 8,000’ers was none other than Denis Urubko, when he tried Broad Peak in winter. The last success? None other than Urubko again, on Gasherbrum II.
Denis Urubko on the summit of Gasherbrum II. Photo: Denis Urubko
Off the normal route
Not a first ascent but still impressive is the upcoming attempt by David Goettler, Typhaine Duperier, and Boris Langenstein to climb the 4,600m-high Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat. This is Goettler’s fifth attempt on the Rupal Face, as he explained to ExplorersWeb earlier this week. If possible, he will paraglide from the summit, while Duperier and Langenstein want to ski down. The team flew to Skardu today.
Langstein, Duperier and Goettler, on the summit of Baruntse some days ago. Photo: David Goettler
Independent climbers
Horia Colibasanu of Romania is trying to carve out some independent space on the increasingly commercialized mountains, as he pursues the 14×8,000’ers in his own style. He uses the Base Camp logistics of the big commercial teams and sticks to the normal routes fixed by Sherpa and Balti climbers. However, he uses no supplementary oxygen, carries his own gear, and climbs on his own and at his own pace.
Today, Colibasanu is on the road to Base Camp and sharing the bus ride with Jorge Egocheaga of Spain. Although he has not shared his plans for Nanga Parbat, he always climbs in a similar style. They should reach Base Camp this week.
Inaki’s path
Colibasanu and Egocheaga won’t be exploring new ways to climb an 8,000m peak. Both have been climbing this way since they first set foot in the Himalaya 20 years ago. Early in the 21st century, independent climbers from all over the world shared a collective climbing permit. Once in Base Camp, they coordinated informally with other climbers to work on the mountains, fix ropes when needed, and break trail to the summit.
At the time, Sherpa staff were rare beyond Base Camp, and oxygen was mostly used only in emergencies. One of the best-known climbers of that age was the charismatic Inaki Ochoa de Olza of Spain, a regular partner of both Colibasanu and Egocheaga until his death on Annapurna in 2008.
Left to right, Jorge Egocheaga, Horia Colibasanu, and Inaki Ochoa de Olza on the way to Dhaulagiri Base Camp in 2007. Photo: Jorge Nagore
There were a few commercial expeditions in the Karakoram even then. They offered Base Camp crews and guides, but the help in these wild mountains of Pakistan was minimal compared to the fully serviced ventures of recent years.
Nanga’s first commercial team
Ralf Dujmovits of Germany led the first commercial expedition to Nanga Parbat in 2001 with his former company, Amical Alpin. It had 13 clients, Hajo Netzer as a second guide, and high-altitude porters Qudrat Ali and Emrodin from Shimshal.
“Qudrat and Emrodin carried part of the group equipment, and the clients and guides carried some…Each carried his own personal equipment…Several of the clients helped to fix ropes and break trail,” Dujmovits said in a recent post on social media.
“None of us used oxygen…There was a single bottle of oxygen at each camp for emergencies only,” Dujmovits recalled. Nine clients, the two porters, and the two guides summited together during the seven-week expedition.
2025: Purja and Harila’s way
Seven weeks for one expedition. Meanwhile, nine weeks is the time that Kathmandu-based 14 Peaks Expeditions considers necessary for clients to summit all five of Pakistan’s 8,000m peaks.
The outfitter’s plan is to follow the style of Nirmal Purja and Kristin Harila — use large, oxygen-loaded Sherpa crews to fix the routes well in advance, even in tough conditions. Then the clients use helicopters to hurry from one peak to the next, assisted by further Sherpa guides every step of the way.
In this fashion, Purja and Harila completed the 14 8,000m peaks in record time. In 2023-24, 14 Peaks CEO Tashi Sherpa used this approach with his own son, 18-year-old Nima Rinji Sherpa, who was trying to become the youngest to summit the 8,000m peaks. He succeeded.
It remains to be seen whether any client can keep that crazy pace, and whether the Karakoram’s typically unstable weather will cooperate. In addition, helicopters are not as easy to hire in Pakistan as they are in Nepal. The service is extremely pricey — about $20,000 per flight last year — and is exclusively managed by the military.
Finally, it remains to be seen how far the expedition leaders will stretch the threshold of risk for both their clients and their staff in order to meet such ambitious deadlines.
