A summit push has begun on Nanga Parbat. It includes Kristin Harila and the five sherpas supporting her. Some members of Seven Summit Treks and 8K Expeditions are also involved. Yet the push is surprisingly secretive: There is none of the usual coordination or open planning among teams.
“No one tells the truth here, everyone hides [their goals],” said a climber currently on the mountain, according to the Alpymon blog. “It’s like playing chess, although we all pursue the same goal.”
Luckily, some climbers have their trackers on. Harila’s tracker locates her on the way to Camp 4. From there, she could summit tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Seven Summit Treks’ Chhang Dawa Sherpa confirms that his first summit group hopes to top out tomorrow, while his second group will await the next weather window.
The first team includes Viridiana Alvarez, whose tracker places her at 6,970m, and Marco Confortola, who is in Camp 3 at 6,800m. Chhang Dawa also notes that ropes are fixed up to Camp 4.
Nanga Parbat Base Camp at 4,200m. Photo: Chhang Dawa Sherpa/Instagram
Pakistani clients
A significant number of Pakistani climbers are on the mountain. Sajid Sadpara is again helping fix ropes for Seven Summit Treks. Wajid Ullah Nagri (rescued from Rakaposhi two years ago) and female climbers Samina Baig (with her brother’s company, Karakoram Expeditions) and Naila Kiani (with Mingma G’s Imagine Nepal) are also there.
Both Baig and Kiani summited K2 last year. Kiani has also bagged Annapurna, Everest, and Lhotse this past spring. While there is no news on Baig’s progress, Kiani is currently in Base Camp, waiting for better weather. Forecasts suggest a turn for the worse starting tomorrow, but conditions should improve again by July 1.
According to Kiani, Sadpara, Shah Daulat, and a few other Pakistanis will be joining the summit push.
