ISLAMABAD: The world’s ninth highest mountain Nanga Parbat has defeated challenger Tomek Mackiewicz who fell about 50 feet into a crevasse, broke a rib and a leg, Alpine Club of Pakistan Executive Council Member of Pakistan Karrar Haidri said on Wednesday.

The Polish climber was attempting to climb the 8,126 metre high peak for the fifth time. The veteran climber’s attempt ended when a snow bridge broke underneath his feet, causing him to fall into a crevasse.

He was descending after a summit push at 6,500 metres when the accident took place. He was accompanied by team member Elisabeth Revol. Mr Haider said that it is an extremely dangerous climb in the winter.

According to ACP, Tomek Mackiewicz told a sports journalist from his base camp on Tuesday, “Elisa went first. She is very light and crossed the snow bridge without any problem. I made two steps and the snow underneath my foot gave way. I started falling into crevasse on my back. I did not have any control over it. I looked up and saw the sky getting farther away at cosmic speed. Somehow the fall ended after 50 metres, and I lived.”

Mackiewicz narrated that his team member Elisabeth Revol rescued him. “No way could I have come out from there alone,” he said.

The two climbers spent roughly 10 days on the mountain. Fellow mountaineers, who had been following the team’s progress, were relieved when Tomek Mackiewicz and Elisabeth Revol returned to the base camp.

Karrar Haidri said the climbing community was particularly concerned when the two climbers were out of touch for three days after their satellite phone battery died.

Tomek Mackiewicz was very close to the top when he fell into a crevasse

The two-member team had made it to camp IV at 7,000 metres. From camp IV, the two climbers pushed towards the summit and reached 7,800 metres. However, it was getting late and they decided to turn back. They were almost 300 vertical metres below summit.

This is the third time that Tomek Mackiewicz climbed higher than 7,000 metres on Nanga Parbat in winter. The only climber to have reached higher is Zbigniew Trzmiel, who turned back from 7,850 metres in 1997.

At this point, it is unclear if French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol will continue the climb or whether she will return home.

The Nanga Parbat and K2 are the only two mountains among the 8,000 metre peaks that have never been climbed in winter.

Karrar Haidri said: “The Killer Mountain is one of the toughest climbs in the world, particularly in winter.”

Published in Dawn January 22nd , 2015

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