ISLAMABAD: Russians, Poles, Italians, French and for the first time Iranian climbers are set to attempt on Nanga Parbat in the current winter season.

After the government of China denied permit to a three-member European expedition to climb K2 from the Chinese side, the focus this winter has shifted to Nanga Parbat. All climbers stayed away from the Killer Mountain in 2014 after 11 mountaineers were killed by terrorists at a base camp in June 2013.

Nonetheless, the Russians landed in Pakistan in late December and are already on the mountainside, said Karrar Haidri, the member executive council, Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

“The Russians will be ascending the mountain on what climbers call the Schell Route. The stretch of this route makes the ascent difficult and harder in the extreme winter conditions. After last year’s unsuccessful attempt, Italian mountaineer Simone Moro said the length of the route made it less feasible for winter climbing where clear weather windows were nonexistent,” he said.

Denied permission to scale K2 from the Chinese side, the mountaineers are now looking to the ‘Killer Mountain’

But four Russians mountaineers - Nickolay Totmjanin, Valery Shamalo, Serguey Kondrashkin and Victor Koval - are planning an alpine style (light) fast ascent on the Schell Route.

Mr Haidri said the team had established a camp at the height of I5, 250 feet and was now taking rest in the base camp about 3,600 metres high.

The Polish and the Italian expedition and the three-member Iranian group intend to climb the 8,026 metres high peak from one of the three faces of the mountain called the Diamer side.

Nanga Parbat winter veteran, Tomek Mackiewicz, is making his 5th attempt, Daniele Nardi, third attempt and Elisabeth Revol second attempt.

The Iranian climbers, Reza Bahadorani, Iraj Maani and Mahmoud Hashemi, were expected to arrive in Pakistan to attempt on Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world, for the first time.

After climbing more than 7,200 metres on Schell Route twice, Tomek Mackiewicz has decided to climb from the Diamer face this year. Daniele Nardi and Elisabeth Revol had climbed as high as 6,400 metres in the winter of 2012-13.

The ACP said the climbers would be ascending the unfinished Messner-Hanspeter 2000 line.

The Italian climbers, Daniele Nardi, with his team members Roberto Delle Monache and Federico Santini, plan to climb Mummery Rib that runs through the middle of the Diamir face.

“The climbers are looking at the extreme weather conditions, especially strong winds. Overcoming exhaustion will be their biggest challenge,” said Mr Haidri.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2015

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