Nanga Parbat: Alex Txikon's team starts search for Daniele Nardi and Tom Ballard

Finally today, as reported on the FB page of Daniele Nardi, thanks to more favourable weather two Pakistani Air Force Écureuil B3s helicopters managed to take off from Skardu and transport Basque alpinist Alex Txikon with his team and equipment (including drones) to Nanga Parbat. After stopping off at Jaglot the two helicopters flew up to Camp 1, remaining at high altitude for 10 minutes in order to search the mountain and locate a suitable landing spot. Then they landed at Base Camp and subsequently transported Alex Txikon and the Pakistani mountaineer Rehmat Ullah Baig to Camp 1. A further reconnaissance of the mountain was made during this flight.

Seeing that "Ramat was with Daniele (Nardi, ed) and Tom (Ballard, ed) during the initial stages of the expedition, he was able to indicate the precise route up the Mummery Rib to Alex and the pilots. An initial 50-minute air reconnaissance was carried out with Alex on board. After this they flew to 7100 meters and then descended to Camp 1. Unfortunately there was no trace of the two mountaineers or their camp. Alex Txikon was then left at Camp 1". The helicopters descended to base camp and then returned to Skardu."

Alex Txikon’s team wasted no time and "installed an operations camp between Camps 1 and 2. Here the mountaineer and engineer Ignacio de Zuloaga started preparing the drones that will patrol the area along the Mummery Rib in detail."

In the meantime "Txikon along with another mountaineer reached camp 2 at 4850 meters for a first land reconnaissance towards Camp 3, before descending to the operations camp." Needless to say, given the conditions, these are not minor undertaakings.

Night has now fallen on Nanga Parbat. Tomorrow the search operations will resume... one continues to hope.