Sergey Nilov perishes on Gasherbrum IV, Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov safe in Skardu

At present there are few details to go by, but they are the ones that really matter: following a five-day ordeal on Gasherbrum IV, Russian mountaineers Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov are safe in Skardu.

As reported previously, the pair formed part of small Russian expedition led by Sergey Nilov that also included Alexy Bautin and Evgeni Lablokov. They had travelled to Pakistan to retrieve the body of their compatriot Dmitry Golovchenko who perished on the mountain in September 2023 while attempting a new route on the unclimbed SE Ridge together with Nilov.

According to mountain.ru, tragedy struck on 17 August at 7:00 am when a serac collapsed while Sergey Nilov, Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov were climbing through the icefall at an altitude of about 6,400 meters. Nilov was swept to his death, while somehow both Mironov's survived although Sergei was injured. A rescue operation was launched immediately but this proved complex due to the poor weather and the altitude, and while a 6-man team was transported to base camp, the Mironovs started to descend on their own accord. Miraculously, they came across Nilov's rucksack containing painkillers, food and gas, and this allowed them survive until they were met by the rescuers on the 20th, who accompanied them to ABC at 6100m. Helicopters were constantly on standby for the weather to improve in order to pick them up and, eventually, transport them to Skardu.

Unfortunately there is no hope of retrieving Nilov. His lifeless body had been identified during the first flyby, but no photos of the exact location were taken and subsequently due to the heavy snowfall and lack of visibility rescuers were unable to locate his body.

This ends an tragic chapter on Gasherbrum IV. Nilov as mentioned had returned to the mountain this season to retrieve the body of his former climbing parter Dmitry Golovchenko, who perished in September 2023 while attempting a new route on the unclimbed SE Ridge together with Nilov.

Golovchenko and Nilov formed a formidable pair and had made a series of outstanding ascents together, such as the Muztagh Tower in Pakistan in 2012 which netted them the Piolet d'Or in 2013, the Russian direttissima on the North Face of Thalay Sagar in the Indian Himalayas in 2016, the East Face of Jannu in 2019 and the South Face of Voennikh Topografov in the Tien Shan in 2021.

Nilov is survived by his wife, Nastya, and his five children.