Barmasse on Nanga Parbat: “Blocked by bad weather at 6,200 meters”

Bad weather is once again the protagonist in the expedition by Hervè Barmasse and David Goettler on the Rupal face of Nanga Parbat. Using a satellite communicator, the Aosta Valley mountaineer made it known that he and the German are “stuck in a tent in what they call camp 2”. It means that, at an altitude of 6,200 meters, where they managed to climb a couple of days ago thanks to one of the rare windows of good weather, they are “perched on a ridge”, explained Barmasse. “And we can not move anywhere, if not a meter in front of us for physiological needs”.

Comparison

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At that altitude there would still be almost two thousand meters of ascent to reach the summit of the second eight thousand on the planet, and from a route that has never been done before in the winter season. From this point of view, the comparison with Everest is also emblematic: if on the Roof of the World the climb from base camp to the top is 3,200 meters, Nanga Parbat exceeds 4,600 meters. The weather models have turned their backs on the pair: “The forecasts for today were mixed. One model looked good, another bad. We hope instead that those of tomorrow will be confirmed (today, Friday; ed) which foresee the sun. Let’s just hope that there won’t be too much snow because it would increase the danger of avalanches to go down ”. Even if in very precarious logistical conditions, like every day the Barmasse lock is marked by lightness: “I’m happy to have brought my mobile phone, at least so, with music and reading, time passes faster inside the curtain”.