The dust hasn’t completely settled on the fall climbing season in the Himalaya, but teams are already looking ahead to the winter. While there are few expeditions that take place during the coldest, snowiest months of the year, as previously discussed there are at least five squads heading to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan to attempt the first ascent of that mountain during the winter season. To prepare for the challenges they’ll face, several of those teams have already started their acclimatization process. ExWeb has a complete rundown of the situation.
The team being led by Alex Txikon has decided to acclimatize in the Andes of South America before flying to Pakistan. He’ll be joined by Daniele Nardi, Ali Sadpara, and Janusz Golab. The team left for Argentina last Friday and plan to stay there until flying to Pakistan on December 22, the first full day of winter.
Polish climbers Adam Bielecki and Jacek Czech have flown to Chile where they’ll also acclimatize in the Andes ahead of their winter attempt on Nanga. They’ll first acclimatize on Ohos de Salado, a 6893 meter (22,614 ft) peak that will get them ready for a winter expedition to the Himalaya. The duo plan to climb NP in pure alpine style, without establishing camps or working a specific route.
Meanwhile, the joint Polish-Pakistani team that is attempting Nanga Parbat this winter has already started their acclimatization efforts on Rakaposhi. They’ve already reached an altitude of 4600 meters (15,091 ft) as they start to get their bodies ready for the conditions they’ll face in the days to come. They’ll be climbing the Schell Route on the Rupal Face, and hope to be on the mountain when winter officially begins.
Finally, Tomek Mackewicz and Elisabeth Revol will be back on Nanga Parbat this winter as well. They’ll first acclimatize in the region before heading to Base Camp on the mountain in early January. The two climbers scouting a route last season, and even made a valiant attempt at the summit, but were forced to abandon their attempt. They’ll use the intel they received on that expedition to help them this year too.
That’s all for now. Expect to hear a lot more about these expeditions in the weeks ahead. We’ll be watching their progress very closely.
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