The commercial climbing season in Pakistan has kicked off with the first summits of 8,126m Nanga Parbat.
Rope fixers Lakpa Temba Sherpa and Pemba Sherpa of Nepal and Dilawar Sadpara and Fida Ali of Pakistan reached the top of the world’s ninth-highest mountain yesterday evening. The rest of climbers, who had meanwhile proceeded to Camp 4, followed this morning.
Seven Summit Treks’ list of summiters includes two climbers who went without oxygen. Vadim Druelle of France, who usually does fast, one-push ascents, and Israfil Ashurli of Azerbajan, who sacrificed his Nanga Parbat summit last year to help a Pakistani climber in trouble. While unconfirmed, both were likely climbing without personal sherpa support.
File image of Israfil Ashurli on an unidentified summit. Photo: Day.az
The rest of the summit group comprised three clients and four sherpa guides: Al Harthy Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah of Oman, Viveke A. Sefland of Norway (doing the 14×8,000’ers), and Thomas Ntavarinos of Greece. Ngima Wangdak Sherpa, Ngima Dorchi Sherpa, and Phubadhile Sherpa accompanied them.
We expect to hear this week from skimo runners Anny Tybor of Poland and Tom Lafaille of France. The young climbers intended to summit without oxygen and ski down, using a technical variation near Camp 2 to avoid stepping off their skis on the Kinshofer Wall. When they left Base Camp, the pair said they aimed to summit tomorrow. The skiers published this short video on social media:
