Around Nanga Parbat Mazeno Pass Trek Damir /Astor

Nanga Parbat, known as the "Naked Mountain" in Sanskrit, derives its name from its steep slopes that are devoid of vegetation and snow. According to local legend, it is also called Diamir, meaning "abode of fairies," where the Queen of fairies purportedly resides in a castle made of solid crystal-clear ice, guarded by gigantic snow serpents and frogs. Disasters in climbing this mountain have been attributed to the displeasure of these fairies.

Nanga Parbat is not a single peak but a 20km long series of peaks and ridges culminating in an ice crest of 8125m. Its South Face, known as Rupal Face, rises 5000m high, while the North or Raikot Face plunges over 7000m from the summit to the Indus, forming one of the world's deepest gorges. This expedition typically approaches from the South side, targeting the Rupal Face.

As the second highest mountain in Pakistan and the ninth highest in the world, Nanga Parbat stands as a formidable challenge for mountaineers. Since the first disastrous British expedition led by A. F. Mummery in 1895, numerous attempts have been made to summit its peak, with few succeeding. Tragically, the mountain has claimed more lives than any other 8000er relative to the number of attempts, earning it the frightening nickname of "Killer Mountain."

The first successful ascent of Nanga Parbat was achieved in 1953 by a joint Austrian-German Expedition, with Hermann Buhl making the final ascent in a grueling 41-hour solo ordeal without oxygen. In 1970, Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner climbed the South Face (Rupal Face) with his brother Gunther, descending by the Diamir face, where Gunther lost his life in a tragic adventure.

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