Nanga Parbat
Winter Expedition
the mountain
the expedition
the expedition kit
Expedition
team
Follow

the team's
progress
from basecamp
to Summit

 
CAMP 4
NEXT
CAMP 2
over 5000 mt
RELATED POST         
 
DEPOSIT
THE MOUNTAIN

Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan with a summit elevation of 8,125 meters.
Nanga Parbat means "Naked Mountain" and it's also called the "Killer Mountain", Nanga Parbat was known to be one of the deadliest of the eight-thousand meter mountains; It is a dramatic peak that rises far above its surrounding terrain, and no one has ever reached the summit in Winter.

NANGA PARBAT CLIMBING HISTORY:
  • - 1895 First attempt (A. Mummery)
  • - 1953 Nanga Parbat first climb along Rakiot Face, Herman Buhl in a solo summit push.
  • - 1962 Second climb on Diamir Face (Kinshofer)
  • - 1970 Reinhold and Gùnter Messner climbed the Rupal face and descent the Diamir face
  • - 1978 Solo climb of a new route along the Diamir face (Reinhold Messner)
  • - 2005 New route in alpine style Rupal face (S.House e V. Anderson)
SEE THE MAP

THE EXPEDITION

After their first winter ascents of Gasherbrum II, The North Face® Expedition Team is getting ready for the next project: the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat 8125 meters.
This Expedition will feature only Simone Moro and Denis Urubko without Cory Richards; the third of the trio on the last GII winter ascent.

The aim of the expedition is to realize the first winter ascent of Nagna Parbat 8125 meters, a mountain also known with the name of "killer mountain" due to the difficulties and the tragedies happened during the attempts to conquer the summit between 1930 and 1953. Also after that years a lot of fatalities involved alpinists of different nationalities on Nanga Parbat.
// you’re reading...

Nanga Parbat

The Expedition is Stopped – The Team is Coming Back Home

Category Nanga Parbat ⋅ February 14, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment


Having received news of further heavy snow in the coming week from Innsbruck-based meteorologist Karl Gabl, alpinists Simone Moro (ITA) and Denis Urubko (KAZ) took the very difficult decision to stop their expedition and return home. The team will wait in the heart of the storm for approximately four days until porters arrive. A two-day fair weather window is forecasted which will allow the descent back.

Setting off for the expedition 51 days ago on 26th December 2011, and led by good physical and mental preparation and good weather conditions, the team reached base camp (4,200m) on 3rd January 2012. Within one month, Moro & Urubko had set up three camps to reach 6,600m up the mountain. However, since 27th January 2012, they have been blocked at base camp due to intense and constant snowfall.

“Preparation, self-training, logistics and technology are vital supports for alpine projects like this one on Nanga Parbat. They make all the difference, as seen last year on the successful Gasherbrum II expedition. However, in the end, the relationship is between man and mountain; if nature doesn’t offer the perfect conditions to reach the objective, this doesn’t have to be considered as a failure, but as an experience for future projects,” reflected Simone Moro.

Denis Urubko cites: “A beautiful mountain and an intense adventure with true friends. Thanks to God we are still here, ready to start new challenges.”

Admitting that the winter and the mountain finally won against their patience and willpower, Moro & Urubko pay tribute to two other expeditions taking place at the same time: a Russian team on K2, and a Polish team who also resigned to Nanga Parbat’s harsh weather conditions.

Moro, Urubko and expedition photographer Matteo Zanga would like to thank all the people that supported them during this long wait; including the many fans and sponsors who supported and encouraged with their messages.