Nanga Parbat, Rupal Face Attempt. Because of sickness and frostbite suffered on the south face of Aconcagua, five of the planned Spanish expedition could not go to Nanga Parbat and only Luis Fraga could join me. After only two days’ march from Rampur, we got to Base Camp at 11,800 feet in the first week of August. We had only twelve 55-pound loads, of which five were of food for six weeks. We attempted the Austrian route of 1976 of Hanns Schell on the Rupal Face. Camp I was at 16,400 feet, where we spent some time to acclimatize. From there we climbed with much rockfall a couloir to Camp II at 19,700 feet. The weather deteriorated and we descended to Base Camp, where we found Yannick Seigneur’s 14-man French expedition. Fraga and I ascended to Camp II to await good weather and were later joined there by Seigneur and Patrick Bérault. Together we climbed the next day to 23,000 feet and set up Camp III. We had hoped for another camp at 25,600 feet but during the night Bérault fell victim to high-altitude disease. In the morning he could not even sit up. We dragged him in his sleeping bag to 19,700 feet, more dead than alive. Other French assisted in his evacuation the next day. Bad weather and lack of time prevented Fraga and me from trying again. The French persisted for four weeks more but got only to 23,000 feet.

Reinhard Karl, Deutscher Alpenverein