Romanian climbers conquer Nanga Parbat Peak
Romanian climbers reached the top of Nanga Parbat Peak in the Himalayas via Rupal Face on the 19th of July.
Roxana Vasile, 29.07.2013, 13:00
The expedition led by Zsolt Torok is the first from Romania to conquer this peak, following two previous failed attempts. Their journey to the top lasted more than a month from the day they left Bucharest for Pakistan.
When the Taliban ambushed and killed 10 foreign climbers and a local guide last month at a camp set up at an altitude of 4,200 m, on the second highest mountain peak in Pakistan, Romania’s Zsolt Torok was climbing an ice covered section unaware of the tragedy occurring a few thousand metres down the same mountain. He found out about the incident when he contacted his wife by satellite phone and was deeply shocked: his team, made up entirely of Romanian climbers, avoided the massacre because they had chosen a different route.
Zsolt Torok, Marius Gane, Aurel Salasan and Teo Vlad continued their ascent to become the first expedition to conquer Nanga Parbat since the bloody attack committed by the Taliban. Also known by the name of the Mountain of Destiny, the Pakistani peak is 8,126 m high, which makes it the 9th highest in the world, and is located at the western most range of the Himalayas. Climbers regard it as one of the most difficult peaks.
“We never wanted to give up”, said Zsolt Torok, whose team chose to climb Nanga Parbat via the most difficult route. Of the 200 climbers who have reached its top so far, less than 20 did it via the Rupal Face, which is a steep ice wall exposed to powerful winds on all sides. But here’s Zsolt Torok himself speaking about the expedition:
Zsolt Torok: “The difficulty of this climb lies in the fact that it involves a difference in height of 4,600 m. This means that after reaching an altitude of 7,000 m or more you have to descend quite a lot in order to restore your strength and then start climbing again. It’s like psychological torture. On the other hand, it’s also the biggest challenge, as Nanga Parbat is one of the most difficult mountains in the world.”
Marius Gane, who was also part of the team, explains:
Marius Gane: “We didn’t fight the mountain, but ourselves, always pushing our limits and trying to make progress.”
The achievement of the Romanian climbers is all the greater as they managed to climb the 8,126 m high mountain without using additional oxygen or local guides and without any help from other teams.
Zsolt Torok: “This is the biggest Romanian achievement in the field of high altitude climbing. As for what we felt when we reached the top, after fighting so hard to get there, I was overwhelmed by a sense of inner peace and tranquility.”
The Romanian climbers who conquered Nanga Parbat Peak in the Himalayas have returned home in the meantime. On Sunday, they held their first press conference at Radio Romania, a media partner for their expedition, and they spoke at length about the expedition and their plans for the future.
