The great Slovenian alpinist Tomaz Humar is pinned on a tiny snow ledge about one-third of the way up the Rupal Face on 26,657-foot Nanga Parbat, and Humar’s support team has called for a helicopter rescue. The weather on Nanga Parbat is mostly stormy, and continuous snow slides, along with exhaustion and apparent rockfall injuries, are preventing Humar from attempting to descend on his own. 

Humar started soloing the Rupal Face on August 2, following a similar line to the one nearly climbed by Steve House and Bruce Miller last summer, to the right of the original Messner route on the gigantic wall. He suffered through a poor bivouac at about 18,700 feet that night, and then climbed another 1,800 feet or so the next day. In warm temperatures, the ice conditions were very poor, with frequent rock fall and small avalanches. After another very poor bivy, Humar tried to continue but could not find an escape route. He returned to his bivy hole and spent another night there on August 4, then downclimbed to a safer location at around 19,400 feet. There he has remained for the past three nights, pinned atop a small snow arête and trying to stay dry in continuous spindrift while his team works to arrange for a helicopter with enough power to pluck him from the face. Meanwhile, an improved weather forecast is offering hope that a helicopter might at least be able to airlift some food and other supplies to Humar. 

Tomaz Humar is one of the most accomplished alpinists of the past decade. His climbs include a solo first ascent on the South Face of Dhaulagiri, new routes on the Northwest Face of Ama Dablam and West Face of Nuptse, and a new route on the South Face of Aconcagua. 

For updates and photos from the developing situation on Nanga Parbat, visit www.humar.com/en/news.php.