Denis Urubko and Maria Cardell have opened a new route on the Diamir Face of Nanga Parbat. The couple reached the summit yesterday, outfitter Active Adventure Holiday told ExplorersWeb.
Imram Ali Khan of AAH confirmed that Urubko, 52, and his partner Maria Cardell, 50, climbed the new route in alpine style and safely returned to Base Camp. We are waiting for details.
The last person to open a new alpine-style route on an 8,000m peak was Urubko himself. The powerful Russian soloed Gasherbrum II via a new line from Camp 1 in 2019. He called that line Honeymoon as a tribute to Cardell. She had intended to climb the route as well, but a back injury forced her to wait in Base Camp.
Triumphant return
In 2022, Urubko’s career suffered a severe blow. While attempting to climb Gasherbrum I in winter via another new route, he fell into a crevasse and was severely frostbitten. It has taken him two years to recover. This summer’s expedition to Nanga Parbat marks his triumphant return to high altitude.
The husband-wife team climbed alpine style, acclimatizing on lesser peaks near Skardu. While the summits were all below 6,000m, they managed long day climbs with a significant altitude gain each day, sleeping low after each climb. Then they moved to Nanga Parbat and waited for the right moment.
The climbers started their summit attempt last Saturday and estimated that they would spend five days on the Diamir Face.
Denis Urubko has summited all 8,000m peaks without supplementary oxygen or Sherpa support. He also has two winter first ascents, on Makalu (with Simone Moro) and Gasherbrum II (with Moro and Cory Richards).
Urubko has opened new routes on Manaslu, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II (solo), and on the highly difficult south side of Cho Oyu. He has also made a name for himself — and friends around the world — for the many rescues he has performed in the Himalaya.
One of them made him an international hero and earned him France’s Legion of Honor. In 2018, he and Adam Bielecki of Poland abandoned their own attempt on Winter K2 and hurried to Nanga Parbat to attempt the incredibly difficult rescue of Tomasz Mackiewicz and Elisabeth Revol. They couldn’t reach Mackiewicz but saved Revol’s life.
