Alpine-Style Ascent of the Schell Route and Paragliding Descent on Nanga Parbat

Photo: David Göttler’s instgram post

Three international climbers have made history on Nanga Parbat, Pakistan’s notorious “Killer Mountain,” by completing a risky ascent and setting records for descents, according to Dawn.com. Between June 21 and 24, German alpinist David Göttler, 47, and his French teammates Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein climbed the Rupal Face, one of the highest and deadliest faces in the world, using the rarely traveled Schell route. They carried all of their equipment from the 3,600-meter base camp and skipped fixed ropes and oxygen bottles to reach the 8,126-meter summit.

Göttler made the intended effort to paraglide down after reaching the summit. Due to strong peak gusts, he had to launch at about 7,700 meters instead. The highest paraglider descent ever recorded on Nanga Parbat was achieved by him in just 30 minutes, despite the delay.

‘‘Sometimes you need to be patient, and put many years of effort into a dream in the hope that it might come true. I dreamt of climbing an 8000m peak by a route other than the normal one. In my case, the Rupal face of Nanga Parbat, via the Schell route, has been that dream for the last 12 years. It’s taken 5 attempts, but now that I’ve achieved it, I know that it’s all been worthwhile. Summiting Nanga Parbat in alpine style with tiphaineduperier and BorisLangenstein was incredible; but to be able to fly down from 7700m all the way back to base camp on the same day, has brought my joy to the next level”. David Göttler

Michael Beek, a German guide, celebrated the achievement in Facebook post: “Summiting Nanga Parbat in alpine style with Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein was incredible; but to be able to fly down from 7,700m all the way back to base camp on the same day has brought my joy to the next level” he said.

Duperier and Langenstein, meanwhile, stayed overnight at about 7,625 meters before starting a three-day descent. They made the first-ever ski descent from the top of Nanga Parbat by trekking and skiing down the imposing Rupal Face, a continuous 4,600-meter plunge.
In addition to a lightweight, quick alpine climb, this incredible adventure featured two firsts: Göttler’s highest paraglider launch and descent and the French team’s first ski descent of the Rupal Face. Their accomplishments not only change the course of high-altitude mountaineering history, but they also establish new standards for endurance and technical ingenuity on one of the most difficult peaks in the world.

Route

Hans Schell, who pioneered the route, described it in his expedition report:

“The amazing fact is that this route runs along the fierce left part of the Rupal flank, which is the steepest wall on Earth. We chose this line because, from base to summit, it covers only half the distance of the normal route. There are few glaciers along the way, though we encountered significant rockfall between Camp 1 (5100 m) and Camp 2 (6100 m). Before us, 16 expeditions had already tried to climb it.”

Despite its relative directness in vertical gain, the Schell Route on Nanga Parbat is a formidable alpine challenge that has defied many attempts. As Hans Schell noted in his 1976 expedition report, the route ascends “the steepest wall on Earth”—the savage left side of the Rupal Face. Its isolation, rockfall danger, and lack of established camps make it a rarely repeated line. The fact that only a few teams have reached the summit via this route since Schell’s first ascent speaks not just to its technical demands, but to the boldness required to follow in his footsteps.