Nanga Parbat / Diamir

Nanga Parbat (8125 m) is the 9th highest mountain on Earth, with its Main Summit being one of the 14 eight-thousanders. It is situated at the furthermost Western end of the Himalayas. The massif of Nanga Parbat lies in the Gilgit-Baltistan province (former Northern Areas of Pakistan), and forms the border between the districts of Astore to the East, and Chilas (now Diamer or Diamir) to the West. Indus river flows to the North of the massif at an altitude of about 1200 m, thus creating an impressive difference in height and marvellous scenery, and also drawing the boundary between the Himalayas and both the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram Range, whose giants and K2 are situated to the NE - much closer than the other Himalayan eight-thousanders in Nepal. The peak rises near the famous curve of the Indus river, close to its confluence with Gilgit river and the homonymous town. Along the river, through the steep slopes of the valley, its way curves the so called Trans-Karakoram Highway (dubbed KKH) - a very useful but evenly dangerous road from Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir to Tibet, Ladakh, Baltistan, and Central Asia, connecting such towns as Srinagar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar to Skardu, Lech, Astore, Chilas, Bungi, Gilgit, Baltit, Passu, Tashkurgan, Kashgar, Yarkand, through the 4693 m high Khunjerab Pass.

The name Nanga Parbat means "The Naked Mountain", while the alternative name Diamir is translated as "The King of the Mountains". The massif has three faces, forming three main valleys, glaciers, and rivers respectively. They are named after villages that lie beneath - Rakhiot (North) face, where the mountain's first ascent was conducted through; Diamir (West or Northwest) face; and Rupal (South) face. Three ridges divide the mentioned valleys - East Ridge, connecting Nanga Parbat to Chongra Range; Ganalo Range (N-NW); and Mazeno Range to the SW. The first attempt to climb the summit, also first on any eight-thousander, was made in the distant 1895 by the leading British climber of that time Albert F. Mummery, who disappeared with his two Gurkha companions somewhere in the ice-falls of Diama glacier, trying to reach Rakhiot valley, after unsuccessful attempts from Rupal and Diamir slopes. Several disastrous expeditions followed during the 1930s, organized mainly by Germans and Austrians, who all tried to reach the summit via its Rakhiot face. This route is the longest in distance from the Main Summit and also the heaviest, demanding enormous preparation, as well as vigour to climb. Most of them ended with many casualties and tragedies for their members, therefore it was then dubbed The German Fateful Mountain. The first successful ascent followed the same route, and was made in 1953 by the distinguished climber Hermann Buhl from Austria, member of the German-Austrian expedition of Dr.Karl Herlighoffer. He organized it in memory of his half-brother Willy Merkl, who died from exhaustion on the slopes of Rakhiot face in 1934, together with Willo Walzenbach and Uli Wieland - all German elite climbers of the pre-WWII period, but also with many altitude porters. Buhl did most of the climb alone, and this, together with his shared first ascend to Broad Peak (8046 m) in Karakoram several years later, brought him an everlasting glory, becoming the first man to perform premiere ascents of two eight-thousanders. Diamir face, with its 3500 m high wall, was first climbed in 1962 by another German expedition, led by the same leader, when Tony Kinshofer, Anderl Mannhardt and Siegfried Löw reached the summit, but the latter died on the descend. This route was later called German or Classical. Rupal face, or World's highest wall - 4500 m, with an average slope bias of 57 degrees - a marvellous creation of Nature, was first ascended in 1970 by two German speaking brothers from Italian Tyrol - Reinhold and Günther Messner, members of an expedition, again lead by Dr.Herlighoffer. After successfully accomplishing the first ascent through this direct route of Rupal wall, due to underestimation of the conditions at high altitudes, they were both forced to descend via Diamir face, using Mummery's Rib, in this way performing the first traverse of Nanga Parbat. Günther became a victim of an ice avalanche during the descend, while his brother Reinhold tasted both sorrow and glory, later becoming one of the most distinguished altitude climbers of all time - conquering all 14 eight-thousanders in 1986, beginning with this ascent - all of them without the usage of supplementary Oxygen. The mountain became the scene of another famous but unsuccessful attempt - in 1939 by the Austrians Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschnaiter, who remained trapped in India with the break of WWII, later escaped the POW camp Dehradun to make their way to Tibet, and eventually to Dalai Lama's court in Lhasa. Their adventures were described in a book (1952) and a movie (1997) with the same name - "Seven Years in Tibet".

Many of the casualties during climb attempts were due to the enormous height, with all negative consequences for human organism at altitudes above 7000 m (called Death Zone) - mainly the severe symptoms of altitude sickness - High Altitude Cerebral and Pulmonary Edema, with its milder but still life threatening symptoms (blood thickening, increased pulse and breath rate, food disorders, dizziness, decreased attention, insomnia, fatigue), but also hypothermia, dehydration, severe frostbite, snow blindness, exposure and overall exhaustion - all these combined with the extreme weather conditions. The latter, in particular, are a result of the specific geographical position of the mountain - severe monsoon periods, tropical climate in the surrounding valleys, leading to drastic temperature changes during day and night, also in altitude (-30:+30 degrees Celsius); quick dynamic change in conditions; sudden storms; hurricane winds; excessive ice-falls and avalanches, combined with significant glaciation, rapid glacier movements and change in crevasse relief. All this has led to Nanga Parbat acquiring a bad reputation, and climbers assigning it the name Killer Mountain. Extreme weather conditions in winter are the reason why Nanga Parbat only recently became the next to last of eight-thousanders (just K2 remaining) to be climbed in winter (2016)!