Nanga Parbat, Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan (with Map & Photos)

Nanga Parbat is one of 14 eight-thousanders, an extremely difficult mountain located in the northwest of the Himalayas. Its height is 8125 meters. Administratively located in Pakistan. Nanga Parbat is one of the three most dangerous peaks for climbing above 8000 meters.

Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat

The summit was not conquered until 1953. Climbing is best planned for the following months: June, July, August, September. Conquering the top of Nanga Parbat is impossible without a full-scale multi-level and long-term expedition. To solve the whole range of logistical and organizational issues related to the ascent, the experience and support of the whole team will be required. It will require the organization of a base and several intermediate assault camps.

Climbing History


For the first time, the peak of Nanga Parbat was seen by Europeans in the 19th century during the travel of Adolf Schlagintveit in Asia and who made her first sketches.

1895 The first attempt to conquer the summit was made by the best British climber of his time, Albert Frederick Mummery. It was the first attempt in the history of mountaineering to climb an eight-thousander. Mummery became the first victim of Nanga Parbat - during a reconnaissance exit through the pass in the side spur of the summit, he and the two Gurkhas accompanying him were last seen at an altitude of about 6400 m, and then, presumably, they died from the side of the Rakiot glacier as a result of an avalanche.

Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat

1932 The German-American expedition led by Willy Merkle explored a possible route of ascent from the side of the Rakiot Glacier through the North Col Pass (6850 m) with the subsequent exit to the eastern summit ridge. During the expedition, ascents were made to Chongra Peak and Rakiot Peak.

1934 The second German expedition led by Willy Merkl again stormed the mountain along the same route. The advanced deuce - Peter Ashenbrenner and Erwin Schneider on July 6 was able to reach a height of 7850 meters, but in the evening of the same day a severe snowstorm broke out, which lasted nine days. During the descent from exhaustion and frostbite, three climbers died, including Merkle himself, and six Sherpas.

1937 The third German expedition to the summit was organized under the leadership of Karl Vin from the side of the Rakiot glacier. The main part of the expedition included seven climbers. On June 11, an intermediate base camp IV was organized, but somewhat to the west than in 1934 - in a snowy trough closer to Rakiot Peak. On the night of June 14-15, an avalanche descended on Camp IV from the Rakiot Peak Icefall, killing all the climbers and nine Sherpas.

1938 Another German expedition to Nanga Parbat. Leader Paul Bauer. On June 22, the expedition managed to reach the North Col, where the well-preserved bodies of Willy Merkle and Gai Laya Sherpas were found. Repeated attempts to climb the "Silver Saddle" did not lead to success. The expedition ended without loss.

1939 - The German-Austrian group, which included Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschneiter, climbed from the west along the Mummery route to a height of 6100 m.

1950 - several English climbers made a desperate attempt to climb from the side of Rakhiot (along the route of German expeditions), two of them went missing at an altitude of about 5500 m. The future Everest pioneer Tenzing Norgay also took part in this expedition.

1953, July 3 - the first successful ascent was made by Hermann Buhl - a member of the German-Austrian expedition led by K. Herligkoffer. It was an episode that had no analogues in the history of conquering eight-thousanders until that time: Buhl reached the summit alone (his partner Otto Kempter turned back from a height of 7300 m) from a camp located at an altitude of only 6900 m, while on the way back he had to night under the open sky at an altitude of about 8 km, since there was not enough daylight time to descend to the assault camp.

1962 - three members of the next German expedition led by Herligkoffer: Toni Kinshofer, Anderl Mannhardt and Siegi Löw made the second successful ascent from the west (along the Mummery path), on the descent they spent an open night in the "death zone". At around 7650 meters, Tsigi Lev died due to a head injury and internal organs received during a breakdown on an ice slope.

1970 - Herligkoffer's new expedition made the first ascent of the South (Rupal) wall. 4 members of the expedition climbed to the top, including Reinhold Messner and his younger brother Gunther, who died in an ice collapse during the descent. After returning to Europe, this expedition became the object of numerous scandals and, first of all, the trial between Messner and Herligkoffer.

1971 - a Czechoslovak expedition made an ascent along the classical (Rakhiot) route.

1976 - The Austrian team climbed the southeast ridge for the first time.

1978 - a new Czechoslovak expedition made the first ascent of the northern peak of Nanga Parbat (7816 m), and Reinhold Messner made a solo ascent to the main peak from the west from Diamir. Later he wrote the fifth book about this peak “Diamir. Mountain of Destiny.

July 15, 2012 - Scottish climbers Sandy Allan and Rick Allen made the first ascent of the Mazeno Ridge to the summit of Nanga Parbat.

Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat

Mortality While Climbing


Nanga Parbat is in the top three (after Annapurna I and K2) of the most dangerous eight-thousanders for climbing with a mortality rate of 22.3% in relation to the number of those who reached the summit. As of 2011, 64 climbers have died on Nanga Parbat (third after Everest and Annapurna I).

On June 22, 2013, militants attacked the base camp from Diamir, killing 10 climbers from different countries (including three climbers from Kharkov - Igor Svergun (expedition leader), Dmitry Konyaev and Bodavi Kashaev), as well as one camp worker - a Pakistani. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.

Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat

Nanga Parbat at the Movies


In 2010, directed by Josef Vilsmeier, the film "Nanga Parbat" was shot based on real events. The film tells the story of the life of the Messner brothers and mainly their ascent to the top of Nanga Parbat in 1970. Having endured incredible hardships, severe physical injuries, on the verge of exhaustion, Reingold and Gunther will reach a fatal height and only then will they fully realize that it is precisely the descent from the mountains that can cost them their lives...

Nanga Parbat is featured in the 2012 fictional television series Arrow. In this movie, the mountain acts as a base for the League of Assassins, led by Ra's al Ghul.

Nanga Parbat Map