Historic Nanga Parbat climb and fly for David Göttler
- Tuesday 1st July 2025
German Alpinist David Göttler has successfully completed an ‘Alpine style’ ascent of Nanga Parbat (8126m) via the infamous Rupal Face and has descended the mountain by paraglider. David becomes the first Alpinist in history to climb and descend Nanga Parbat in this way.
The Nanga Parbat Rupal Face is a massive, nearly 4,600-metre (15,090 ft) high rock and ice wall on the southern side of Nanga Parbat, considered to be the tallest mountain face on the planet.
David, together with his teammates Tiphaine Duperier and Boris Langenstein, climbed the Rupal Face via the Schell Route (named after Austrian Hanns Schell, who first climbed the line in 1976). The team climbed without supplemental oxygen, fixed lines or support from porters.
This expedition was Göttlers fifth time on the mountain; his previous attempts were as follows:
• 2013/14 Winter attempt with Simone Moro
• 2021/22 Winter attempt with Herve Barmasse
• 2023 Summer attempt with Benjamin Védrines
• 2024 Summer attempt with Michael Arnold, Boris and Tiphaine
According to available records, this route has been climbed a total of eight times, with the last ascent being made in 2013. With her ascent, Tiphaine Duperier became only the second woman to climb the route.
Upon summiting, Göttler’s objective was to descend by paraglider to base camp. Due to strong winds at the summit, the team were forced to descend slightly, to 7,700m, before David could successfully launch his glider. There are no records of anyone attempting to paraglide from this altitude on Nanga Parbat previously. Following Göttlers descent, Duperier and Langenstein spent a night at 7625m, before descending by ski and by foot, over the subsequent three days.
For clarity, below is a summarised timeline of events:
21st June: Climbed from Base Camp (3600m) to 6000m
22nd June: 6000m to 6800m
23rd June: 6800m to 7400m
24th June: 7400m to the summit of Nanga Parbat, 8126m and back to 7700m. From here, Göttler took off with his paraglider and flew back to BC. Duperier and Langenstein bivy at 7625m with a tent, stove and mattress. They skied/climbed down from the summit to the bivy.
25th June: Duperier and Langenstein trek/ski from 7625m to 7400m
26th June: Duperier and Langenstein ski from 7400m to 6000m
27th June: Duperier and Langenstein trek/ski down from 6000m to BC
Speaking after his ascent, Göttler shared his thoughts: "Definitely for me, the highlight of my career, so far. I always dreamt of climbing an 8,000m peak via a non-normal route and in Alpine-style with a small team. We consider our ascent as Alpine-style as we only used one 50m rope, some pitons and camelots, We had one tent for the three of us, one stove, mattress and sleeping bag and food and gas we carried all by ourselves.
We did make one trip, prior to the summit push to make a gear deposit and assess the conditions, up to 6000m. This two-day rotation was made immediately following our arrival at BC, on the 13th and 14th of June."
David commented further: "Before arriving at the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat, the three of us acclimatised by climbing Island Peak (6,165m) and Baruntse (7,129m) in Nepal. The cherry on top was the flight down, which was once in a lifetime experience. On top, reflecting on the bold accomplishment of the four Austrian climbers who opened this route in 1976 makes the whole experience even more special.
The many attempts I needed, over the years, to finally succeed in ascending and descending this incredible mountain in this style, makes me very proud. Nowadays, everybody wants everything instantly and is not willing to dedicate a significant amount of time to achieve a lifetime dream. I hope to showcase that it’s worth it."