Nanga Parbat Base Camp, 4230mt above sea level, -12°C, cloudy
Wake up in basecamp
We just got back to Base Camp. We slept at -30°C and hearing Denis shivering and cursing because of the cold doesn’t happen that often! Tonight we will head towards a spot that could be a Camp 2 for a summer expedition, but we decided to get there directly from Base Camp, so we can test our engine and keep warm while moving. Denis and I have decided NOT to do the Kinshoffer route but to take another one, probably the one Messner tried in 2000 with Hans Peter Eisendle. The Kinshoffer would take too much time, because we would have to place fixed ropes everywhere and we don’t want to.
Descent on traverse of Diamir glacier
That’s why yesterday we went up to Camp 1 of the Kinshoffer, grab our equipment and go the same distance inside the Valley between Nanga and Ganalo, keeping to the left side of the moraine.
We reached a spot at 5300/5400mt that had a spectacular view on Nanga and on the wall where I traced a new route with Lafaille in 2003. I had never really seen it in daylight, because with Jean Cristophe we climbed at night and in bad weather.
On the middle part of the Diamir glacier – about 5000mt
Just above camp 1 – approaching Kinshoffer couloir
This morning we wanted to reach the mount at 6000mt but the weather was bad (just as Gabl had predicted) and it started snowing. We decided to come back down because there is a spot on the route where you are exposed to falling in a very dangerous serac for about 4 or 5 minutes, and if there were also some fresh snow it would truly become a lottery. The serac I’m talking about is the one on the left side of the Kinshoffer channel.
Wake up in Camp 1 – 5250mt
Crevass in low part of glacier – toward camp 1
Traverse of Diamir glacier
Story: Simone Moro
Photos: Simone Moro/Denis Urubko