Tiphaine Dupérier on the RUPAL side of Nanga Parbat (8126m)

From June 1st to July 15th, 2024, Tiphaine Dupérier, member of the Lagoped Family , an outstanding mountaineer and skier, is seeking to make the first ski descent of the Rupal side of Nanga Parbat (8126m) , accompanied by her sidekick Boris Langenstein. She gives us the story of her expedition.

" "Api! Six Api! We need a six!" Musa watches intently as the die lands on the cardboard. No six. In recent days, Ludo has become a good way to kill time at base camp. We are at 3500m, at the foot of the Rupal slope of Nanga Parbat and it is hot, hot enough for the mess tent to be the ideal place for a game of Ludo. You might think that success at this game is down to chance, but without strategy, it is impossible to advance without losing your pieces. The comparison with our presence here in Pakistan did not occur to me at the first throw of the die. It is only when we come down from our second attempt, with a bitterness in the pit of my stomach that I realize that here again, I would not have rolled the six I dreamed of and that worse still, I may not have had the right strategy ."

In Pakistan, the name of the mountain Nanga Parbat can be translated as the "Naked Mountain", even if it is also called "Sleeping Beauty". However, its reputation is not so magical , since since 1937, it has acquired a darker notoriety after the disappearance of 7 climbers and 9 Sherpas. It has become the "Killer Mountain". Tiphaine Dupérier knows this story, she writes:

" The project is to make the first ski descent of the Rupal side of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest peak in the world . At 4,500 metres high, this face has a bad reputation as a killer mountain with evil intentions. But as Pierre Chapoutot rightly points out in a very comprehensive document on this summit: " Here as elsewhere, it is not the mountain that kills : it is simply the methods of approaching it that increase or reduce the risks of recording losses." (Pierre Chapoutot, Nanga Parbat Recto-Verso. Cimes 2003)"

Nanga Parbat, which was first climbed in the summer of 1953 by an Austro-German expedition, is the second highest peak in Pakistan after K2. The summit has three gigantic faces : the east face of Raikot, the west face of Diamir and the south face of Rupal.

For this new expedition with her friend Boris Langenstein, Tiphaine Dupérier chose the Rupal face, the most difficult route of Nanga Parbat. The Rupal face of Nanga Parbat is the highest in the world , it extends over four vertical kilometers from the ground. This face has never been skied yet, and is starting to be coveted by the best skiers, starting with Tiphaine Dupérier and Boris Langenstein.

Tiphaine Dupérier and Boris Langenstein know each other well, this is not their first expedition together , and not by a long shot! Together, the two guides have already signed the first ski descents of Laila Peak (6096m), Spantik Peak (7027m), or the famous Nanga Parbat (8126m) by the Diamir slope.

The skiing duo left France on June 1st, heading for Pakistan, a region now well known to Tiphaine Dupérier and Boris Langenstein. However, acclimatization remains an important step.

"Our strategy then. First of all, acclimatization. Arriving on June 4th at the base camp, it is the beginning of a hazardous process of climbing in altitude, with always the same question: "do you think we are good?". For this first part, we hang around on the summits opposite the Nanga . The snow conditions are not what we would have liked, just like the weather which is starting to prove the forecasters wrong. Despite everything, and in conditions at the limit of our rules, we ski the north ridge of Rupal Peak , stopping under the rocky summit at almost 5500m. To be able to claim to do an 8000, a climb to 7000 and nights at more than 6000m are necessary. In this region of Nanga Parbat, we have no other choice but to climb the monster (the Nanga) to reach these altitudes. After three nights at 6000 and a climb to 6700, on June 20, we assume that our acclimatization is complete, without having checked these prerequisites. Because the weather forecast encourages us to try. They are what they are, but they are by far the best we have had!"

" The Schell route is the one we are considering. It is the "easiest" on this side. It is also the first time that I am going on a route that goes to the other side of the mountain, which gives it a terribly committed character. We are going to divide the climb into three camps: the first at 6000m, the second at 6800 and the last at 7400m. For this first attempt, we are teaming up with David Goettler (author of an ascent of Everest without oxygen in 2022). This is his fourth attempt on this route. David has a tight schedule and we must take advantage of being three to be stronger."

At the foot of Nanga Parbat, Tiphaine and Boris meet David Goettler, a regular on Nanga Parbat and Rupal. In 2023, he was aiming for the summit alongside Benjamin Védrines, but a day of poor form prompted them to turn back and prioritize the spirit of the rope team over the ambition of the now record holder for climbing K2 without oxygen.

This year, he teamed up with Mike Arnold to complete this route that he is keen to succeed in. After his departure, the American climber admits that the Rupal face is “difficult to see at a glance. You have to stop and spend time, from east to west, scrutinizing this monstrosity”. Mike Arnold explains in particular that “ this mountain demands everything and a window of 4 to 5 days was necessary to climb and descend without supplemental O2. ” He ends by thanking his climbing companion and wishing a good climb to the new rope team: Tiphaine, Boris and David.

The first day, the three climbers navigate between storms and almost perfect snow conditions. “ On June 26, the counter is at 0 at the base camp, it is 01:30. Up to 6000m, the snow carries and it is almost pleasant. Beyond that, it is something else. We pedal in deep snow and without snowshoes the ascent is doomed to failure. ”

After the first camp, the rope team is slowed down by thick snow but can count on each of its members to take turns and reach the next camp. “ Between camp 1 and camp 3, there is already a small internal war going on, so we hardly dare to imagine what it will be like higher up… The moment of the switch to the Diamir slope is impressive. The feeling of being on another mountain is overwhelming and almost makes you feel sick, I know that the summit is still far away. But everything is majestic . The clouds, we are above. The base camp on the other side, we can see it. It is immense. Come on, let's concentrate, we still have work to do. We now have to cross snow slopes that give access to a mixed ramp that will allow us not to lose altitude. It is not extreme but the rock is bad and everything is exposed. With Boris, we are really knackered. We know that our acclimatization is limited and our body lets us know it. ”

On the fourth day, the summit was supposed to be within reach of all three climbers, but David Goettler would later admit that “ everything seems much bigger on this mountain .”

"Unsurprisingly, at the end of this crossing, we discover the continuation with the summit much too far for our little legs, especially with this cursed powder snow. David also admits defeat. It's too far, there is too much difference in altitude. There is a little more than 600m left and we have done a few unfortunate 115m in 5 hours. The height of the skier, we have to go back up to reach our tents and the other side. Eight hours later, in a nice fog, we are back at camp 1, very tired."

Back at base camp, David GOETTLER will explain that he will only be happy if he climbs this mountain in a style that remains true to his values. “There is always a certain frustration of having devoted so much time and effort only to be pushed back without having reached the summit , but I know that this is just part of the journey : it is part of what it means to ‘never stop exploring’.” However, he recognizes that he made the right decision and is proud of the efforts made by the three climbers and the decisions made.

David Goettler eventually left the French mountaineering duo, who wanted to give themselves a second chance to climb the summit and attempt their descent on skis.

"For Boris and me, the calendar does not impose a return before July 21st. So now that we are well acclimatized, we must try again. David, for his part, is flying to Europe. We are both, old-school, as Boris would say. In any case, we should not hang around too long because the warming is at work on the lower face and is deteriorating the skiing conditions. We need a week of rest, for the weather to stop acting treacherously and maybe we can go above 7500m. Which will not happen.

We rested well and left in what we thought was a good weather window. At Camp 1, we received the new forecast with disappointment. Our summit day was the worst: wind, snow. The next day we went back down to base camp loaded like mules. Without fixed ropes, the descent is a great challenge when the conditions are bad and especially with a good 25kg on our backs. My stomach and brain are in knots, I feel like I made the wrong choice, that in fact it will be nice and that we will be down there biting our fingers until we bleed."

A few days after her return, Tiphaine Dupérier takes the necessary step back from this new expedition and does not admit defeat.

"Chance? Strategy? Meteorological chance cannot be controlled, but strategy must be worked on. Generally speaking, the weather has been capricious in Pakistan this year. The game is not over and all my pieces are in place for the next round. I still have to refine my strategy and make a six next year."

We wish Tiphaine, Boris, David and their next rope companions to realize their dream and succeed in this ascent and descent in their own way, in alpine style, on skis or by paraglider!