By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A Czech climber has died after falling between Camp 1 and Camp 2 during an expedition on Nanga Parbat, one of the world’s most treacherous peaks, officials in Pakistan’s Diamer district confirmed said on Thursday.
Klara Kolouchova, 46, was part of a seven-member team that included her husband, marking a devastating loss for the international climbing community. The expedition arrived in Pakistan on June 15 and reached Nanga Parbat’s base camp two days later.
According to Diamer Additional Deputy Commissioner Nizamuddin, Kolouchova’s teammates reported her death after returning to base camp, though her body remains at the site where she fell.
Efforts are underway to pinpoint the exact location of the incident before launching a recovery operation.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan reported that the fall occurred around 4 am local time. Rescue officials and high-altitude porters have been dispatched to the area, but the mountain’s extreme terrain is complicating efforts to retrieve Kolouchova’s body.
Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, expressed profound grief over the climber’s death. “We are devastated by the loss of Klára Kolouchova, an extraordinary mountaineer who had conquered some of the world’s highest peaks,” Haidri said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to her family, friends, and the global climbing community during this painful time.”
He added that the Alpine Club is working closely with local authorities to support recovery efforts.
Kolouchova was a trailblazer in mountaineering, celebrated as the first Czech woman to summit both Everest and K2, two of the planet’s tallest peaks. Her climb on Nanga Parbat, Pakistan’s second-highest mountain at 8,125 meters, was part of an ambitious goal to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks, a feat achieved by only a handful of climbers.
Nanga Parbat, often dubbed the “Killer Mountain,” is notorious for its lethal risks. With a death rate of approximately 22 percent among climbers, it ranks as the third-most dangerous 8,000-meter peak. More than 100 climbers have lost their lives on its slopes, a grim testament to its unforgiving nature.
The mountain, one of the most striking in the Himalayas after Mount Everest, looms over the surrounding terrain with dramatic vertical relief. Its south side, known as the Rupal Face, rises 4,600 meters (about 15,090 feet) above sea level, earning it the title of the highest mountain face in the world.
On the north side, the Rakhiot Flank ascends 7,000 meters (about 23,000 feet) in a remarkably short distance, making it one of the steepest elevation gains on Earth.
Earlier this week, three European climbers achieved a rare feat on one of the world’s most dangerous peaks by scaling Nanga Parbat from the treacherous Rupal face in alpine style, with one of them paragliding down from near the summit in a daring solo descent.
Unlike traditional expedition climbing, alpine style involves climbing in a single push without establishing fixed ropes or pre-stocked camps, requiring climbers to carry all their gear. The approach demands speed, efficiency and a high degree of skill, especially at high altitude.
German climber David Göttler was joined by French mountaineers Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein for the climb via the Schell route, a steep and rarely successful line up the mountain’s massive southern wall. The Rupal face, rising nearly 4,600 meters from base to summit, is considered the world’s highest mountain face and among the most technically demanding.
“Sometimes you need to be patient … It’s taken five attempts, but now that I’ve achieved it, I know it’s all been worthwhile,” Göttler wrote in a social media post on Tuesday, describing his 12-year pursuit of the route.
He said summiting with his teammates in alpine style was “incredible,” adding that being able to fly down from around 7,700 meters to base camp on the same day took his joy “to the next level.”
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