David Göttler abandons ambitious Nanga Parbat attempt

German alpinist David Göttler has abandoned his ambitious expedition on Nanga Parbat for this year, due to unfavourable conditions during his final summit attempt. Göttler, alongside American alpinist Mike Arnold, spent the entire month of May acclimatizing in the Nepalese Himalaya before travelling to Pakistan for their main objective of the trip, Nanga Parbat (8156m).

The objective had been to climb Nanga Parbat in alpine style, with no fixed ropes, supplementary oxygen or sherpa support, via the Schell Route on the Rupal Face, the world’s tallest mountain face. Their aim was to combine this truly pure and light Alpine-style ascent with a ski & paragliding descent of the mountain. If successful, this would have been the first ski-descent and first paraglider flight down on a non-normal route of an 8000m peak. So far all ski and flight descents on 8000m peaks have happened from ascents on the ‘normal’ routes of each mountain, making Göttler and Arnold’s attempt all the more futuristic.

Having spent three weeks at Nanga Parbat basecamp, waiting for their weather window to arrive, time ran out for Arnold who decided to return home to Italy. Not content with ending the expedition just yet, Göttler remained and teamed up with French climbers/skiers Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein, who had just arrived at basecamp for their own attempt on the mountain.

When finally presented with a weather window on June 27th, the team of three started up the mountain, reaching and establishing a camp at 6850m. Despite an ambitious attempt, the team were finally forced to turn back on Saturday June 29th at an altitude of 7550 meters, due to excessive amounts of snow and dangerous conditions.

Göttler commented: "Nanga Parbat, 8156m. This mountain has tested me for longer and more often than any other mountain. Twice in winter and twice in summer I have tried to climb it, but so far, I’ve not yet made it to the top.

Sometimes it has been because of deep snow or unstable weather; other times simply because my own body wasn’t responding as it needed to for the task at hand, but, more than anything, I think that what is making this so hard is the knowledge that I will only be happy if I climb this mountain in a style that stays true to my values.

I want to climb in alpine style, in a small team, not up the "normal” route where there are many others, and, of course, not using supplementary oxygen or Sherpa or high altitude porter support. Sticking to these self imposed rules make the already slim chances of success, even slimmer.

I’ve summited six 8000m peaks without supplementary oxygen, including Mt Everest, and I’ve been on more than 30 expeditions, so I know that for me, staying true to my values allows me to give 100% to the challenge. A large part of the motivation to push myself into the zone of uncertainty and discomfort where we really start to learn and experience so much more about ourselves, comes from staying aligned with those alpine values that I deeply respect. Of course, there is always some frustration at having put in so much time and effort only to be knocked back without reaching the summit, but I know that this is simply part of the journey: part of what it means to climb these giants.”