Hermann Buhl, an Austrian climber, made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat on 3 July 1953, reaching the 8,126 m summit alone and without bottled oxygen after leaving his high camp in the middle of the night. It remains the only time an 8,000-metre peak has been first climbed by a person on their own. He then survived a night in the open at about 8,000 m, and lost part of one foot to frostbite.
For visitors, the story matters because you can walk into the same view. The 1953 expedition's base camp was below the Rakhiot face, at Fairy Meadows, and the north face that Buhl climbed is what you see from the meadow and from Beyal camp. This post covers the climb, the failures that came before it, and how to see the ground from the trail.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Mountain | Nanga Parbat, 8,126 m, ninth highest in the world |
| First ascent | 3 July 1953, Hermann Buhl, solo, no supplementary oxygen |
| Route | Rakhiot flank, from the north side |
| Expedition | German-Austrian "Willy Merkl Memorial Expedition", led by Karl Herrligkoffer |
| Base camp | Fairy Meadows |
| Deaths on the mountain before 1953 | 31 |
Why was Nanga Parbat called the Killer Mountain?
Nanga Parbat earned the name through the number of climbers it killed before anyone reached the top. By the time of Buhl's ascent, 31 people had died trying. The first recorded attempt on any 8,000-metre peak was here, in 1895, when the British climber Albert Mummery went up the Diamir side with two Gurkhas, Ragobir Thapa and Goman Singh. On 24 August they set out to cross the Diama Col and were never seen again.
The worst disaster came in 1934. A large German-Austrian expedition under Willy Merkl was caught by a nine-day storm after early progress. Alfred Drexel died early in the climb, probably of altitude sickness. In the retreat, Merkl, Ulrich Wieland and Willo Welzenbach died together with six Sherpas.
The 1953 expedition
The 1953 expedition was organised as a memorial to Merkl by his half-brother Karl Herrligkoffer, a Munich doctor. Peter Aschenbrenner served as the alpine adviser. The team used the same base camp and the same Rakhiot line as in 1934, with Fairy Meadows as base.
The plan was a team effort, with climbers moving up camp by camp. The summit push in fact broke from that plan, and Herrligkoffer later criticised Buhl for it.
Buhl's summit day
Buhl and three teammates reached Camp V at 6,900 m on 2 July. According to accounts based on his own report, he left alone at about 02:30 on 3 July. He was carrying no extra oxygen, and the final 1,300 m or so were climbed solo.
- 02:30: he sets out from Camp V and crosses the Silver Saddle, also called the Silver Plateau.
- About 19:00: he reaches the summit, crawling the last stretch, and leaves his ice axe with a Pakistani flag on it as proof.
- Night of 3 to 4 July: darkness forces him to stop at around 8,000 m. He stood the night on a ledge with no bivouac gear, and survived, as the sources put it, only because of unusually good weather.
- Descent: frostbitten and disoriented, he used Pervitin to fight apathy and hallucinations, and reached Camp V after about 41 hours away from it.
- Afterwards: doctors found that his right big toe and part of the second toe had to be amputated.
What happened to Buhl afterwards
Buhl went on to climb Broad Peak in 1957. On Chogolisa that June he lost his way in a snowstorm near the summit and stepped through a cornice. Kurt Diemberger, his partner, saw only his footprints leading to the break in the snow. His body has never been recovered.
Can you see Buhl's route today?
Yes, from the ground and without any climbing. The trek from Fairy Meadows to Beyal camp and on to the viewpoints looks directly at the Rakhiot face. Our Nanga Parbat base camp trek guide covers the walk and its timing, and our page on Fairy Meadows explains the jeep track and the stay. For where each viewpoint sits, see Nanga Parbat viewpoints. If you want the mountain itself in one page, read Nanga Parbat mountain.
Do not expect to see the summit route in detail. The upper face is far above the meadow, and cloud often covers it by midday, so go early.
Is it safe to go?
Fairy Meadows is reached from the Karakoram Highway near Raikot, and the UK government advises against all travel on the highway between Mansehra and Chilas. Many Pakistani visitors still go, and the Babusar route avoids that stretch in summer. Foreign-passport holders should check their own government's advice, which can void travel insurance. Check local news before you leave, and see is Fairy Meadows safe.
Frequently asked questions
Who made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat?
Hermann Buhl, an Austrian, on 3 July 1953, during a German-Austrian expedition led by Karl Herrligkoffer.
Did Hermann Buhl climb Nanga Parbat alone?
He climbed the last 1,300 m or so alone and without supplementary oxygen, after leaving Camp V at about 2:30 am and reaching the top at around 7 pm.
How high is Nanga Parbat?
8,126 m, the ninth highest mountain in the world.
Where was the base camp in 1953?
At Fairy Meadows, below the Rakhiot face on the north side of the mountain.
Who first tried to climb Nanga Parbat?
Albert Mummery's British party in 1895, the first recorded attempt on any 8,000-metre peak. Mummery disappeared on 24 August of that year.
