– Photographs –
(L–R) Gregor, William, me, Mum, Eunice and Max.
Photo: Sandy Allan collection.
(L–R) Gregor, William, me, Mum, Eunice and Max.
Photo: Sandy Allan collection.
Greg, Eunice and me at the Balmenach Distillery.
Photo: Sandy Allan collection.
Me and Greg hillwalking in the Cairngorms.
Photo: Sandy Allan collection.
Mark Miller and Ewen Todd in Skardu.
Photo: Steve Razzetti.
Me climbing on the early part of the Mazeno Ridge on Doug Scott’s 1995 expedition.
Photo: Rick Allen.
Voytek Kurtyka close to the ‘point of no return’ during our attempt on the Mazeno in 1995.
Photo: Rick Allen.
Climbing with Voytek in Poland in 2014.
Photo: Sandy Allan collection.
Doug Chabot (left) and Steve Swenson at Base Camp after their ascent of the Mazeno Ridge to the Gap in 2004.
Photo: Doug Chabot collection.
The Mazeno Ridge of Nanga Parbat in profile, with the Mazeno Pass on the far left,
and the Rupal Face below the summit on the right.
Photo: Markus Walter.
Lhakpa Rangdu Sherpa, Lakpa Zarok Sherpa and Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa at Tarshing.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Nuru and Zarok joking around at Base Camp.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Coming up with a plan for the climb at Base Camp.
Photo: Cathy O’Dowd.
Cathy at Base Camp.
Photo: Cathy O’Dowd.
Sorting food for the climb.
Photo: Cathy O’Dowd.
Rangdu and Zarok calling home on the satellite phone after our arrival at Base Camp.
Photo: Cathy O’Dowd.
Rick acclimatising on the initial ridge above Base Camp.
Photo: Cathy O’Dowd.
Rick and me descending to Base Camp after an acclimatisation foray.
Photo: Cathy O’Dowd.
The Mazeno Ridge, with key features and routes marked.
Photo: Markus Walter.
Our initial climb and camps from Base Camp.
Photo: Cathy O’Dowd.
Approaching Camp 1 from Base.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
The site of Camp 1.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Packing up Camp 2, our springboard on to the ridge, on the morning of 4 July.
Photo: Rick Allen.
Nuru and Zarok climbing up to gain the main ridge from Camp 2.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Looking along the ridge to the summit.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Breaking trail along the ridge, shortly before Nuru’s fall.
Photo: Rick Allen.
Zarok and Nuru at our forced bivvy, after Nuru’s fall.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Rick leading along the ridge.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Rick pictured at the same location as Voytek in photo 6, just before the ‘point of no return’.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Rick on one of the cols between the many summits along the ridge.
Photo: Rick Allen.
Nuru and Zarok break trail towards the Mazeno Gap.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Hard going in deep snow on the Diamir side of the ridge.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Looking back along the ridge, with the Gap in the foreground.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Our last bivvy before the Mazeno Gap, just before the pinnacles.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Rick climbing above the Mazeno Gap.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
(L–R) Cathy, Zarok and Nuru part way down the Schell route.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Rangdu, before his descent from 7,160 metres with Cathy, Zarok and Nuru.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Cathy at their bivvy during the descent of the Schell route.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Zarok during their descent.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
(L–R) Nuru, Zarok and Cathy pick their way through unstable terrain.
Photo: Lhakpa Rangdu.
Me breaking trail on the traverse of the Diamir west flank, the day before we summitted.
Photo: Rick Allen.
Looking back along the ridge from the Diamir west flank.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
On the summit.
Photos: Sandy Allan/Rick Allen.
The Diamir west flank, from the Mazeno Gap to the summit.
Photo: Robert Schauer.
The Diamir Face of Nanga Parbat, showing the line of our descent.
Photo: J. Hemmleb, Lana (Italy).
Our snow hole below the summit at 7,720 metres.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Rick using the sat phone.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Rick at our snow cave near the Kinshofer Camp 4, the morning after our descent from the high snow hole. In the background, our footsteps from the previous day’s descent are more or less obscured with fresh snow and avalanche debris.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Rick descending steep and deep snow from our snow cave.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Rick, feeling the effects of almost two weeks’ climbing. The Diamir glacier in the distance.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Rick sets off the avalanche on the Kinshofer route.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Rick sorting out the bivvy ledge, above Kinshofer Camp 2.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Me settling down for the night at the bivvy ledge above Kinshofer Camp 2.
Photo: Rick Allen.
Czech climbers Marek Holeček (top) and Zdeněk Hrubý, who were so kind to us at the top of the Kinshofer Wall.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Me on the last abseil off the Kinshofer Wall.
Photo: Rick Allen.
Our welcoming committee at the Kinshofer Camp 1.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Me and Rick, with Samandar between us, and the rest of the porters at Kinshofer Base Camp.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
A good cup of tea at the Kinshofer Base Camp, thanks to the generosity of the Czechs.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
Samandar Khan, a good man to have on your team.
Photo: Sandy Allan.
A tea stop on the Karakoram Highway, on our way home.
Photo: Sandy Allan collection.
(L–R) Me, Catherine Destivelle, Christian Trommsdorff and Rick at the 2013 Piolets d’Or.
Photo: Pascal Tournaire.
Me and Rick in Chamonix, 2013.
Photo: Pascal Tournaire.