Nanga Parbat, Ascent. Our summit day, July 21, saw a multi-national group from three different expeditions depart CIV at about 4 a.m. In one team were two Koreans, in the second were three Koreans and their high-altitude porter, Rosi Ali, and in the last group were Alan Hinkes and I. Rosi Ali and I shared the leads, alternating 50-meter pitches except where the route steepened or we moved into mixed ground, where I retained the lead. Disappointingly, no amount of cajoling, pleading or abuse was sufficient to motivate any of the other climbers to contribute. Very deep snow and a late afternoon blizzard contributed to Rosi’s and my exhaustion; however, at about 4 p.m., I reached the base of the summit buttress around 7800 meters and was able to make better time. I led for the next hour or so until about 50 meters below the summit, where Rosi Ali overtook me and led through to the summit. Rosi reached the summit about 5:45 p.m. and I at 5:50 p.m. It took until 6:20 p.m. for all the other climbers to reach the summit and at 6:30 p.m. I commenced the descent. During the descent, Hinkes and I led most of the way until we reached the vicinity of CIV, which we were unable to locate. We separated and whilst I was searching, Hinkes was joined by some of the Koreans and together they located the camp. They did not call to me and I was not aware that the camp had been found. Around 2 a.m., I gave up and settled in for a bivouac. With sufficient light at 5 a.m., I moved off and found the camp a couple of hundred meters away, with the larger Korean team and Hinkes ensconced within. The other two Koreans had also bivied out.

Andrew Lock