The treacherous slopes of Mt. Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters) have claimed the life of yet another mountaineer, climber Paweł Tomasz Kopeć. The Polish climber died near the near Camp IV section at an elevation point of 7,300 meters on Sunday, 2nd July 2023, during his descent after a successful summit.
Paweł Tomasz Kopeć, along with climbing companions Waldemar Kowalewski and Piotr Krzyzewski, had reached the summit of the mountain without bottled oxygen. But, their return journey took an unfortunate turn when the 38-year-old Paweł Kopeć lost his life near Camp IV, suffering from Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and dehydration.
Successful Scaling to the Top With No Supplementary Oxygen
Paweł Kopeć, a member of the Świetokrzyskie Alpinist Club alongside his mountaineering companions Waldemar Kowalewski and Piotr Krzyzewski, made a successful conquest of Mt. Nanga Parbat on Sunday, 2nd July.
The three Polish climbers approached the top of the deadly mountain independently and without the use of supplementary oxygen. These Polish mountaineering experts also decided to push for the summit of Nanga Parabt during different hours and made it to the summit one by one during the different hours of the afternoon.
Piotr Krzyzewski, during his final push to the summit, reported the high wind and rain during his ascend; he returned to Base Camp 3 at midnight. Similarly, Waldemar Kowalewski and Paweł Kopeć reached the summit simultaneously at around 2:30 p.m.
The Polish duo mountaineers, Kopeć and Kowalewski, also descended together from the summit. But, as they were climbing down to the base camp, the no supplementary oxygen expedition started taking a toll on Kopeć ‘s body.
Having made it to the summit at a very late hour, Kopeć lost his life due to exhaustion and altitude sickness as he was climbing down with his fellow Polish mountaineer Waldemar Kowalewski.
Paweł Kopeć was an experienced climber in the expeditions on the Himalayas, he set out on an expedition to conquer the peak of the eight-tallest mountain in the world, Mt. Manaslu (8,163 meters), in 2018.
Although it was an unsuccessful attempt during the year, the Polish mountaineer returned a year later and successfully scaled the mountain. He also took part in the Mt. Lhotse (8,516 meters) expedition in 2021.
Residing in Keilece, Southern Poland, Paweł Kopeć was a staff of the Polish Mountaineering Association and a member-spelunker of the Polish Winter Himalayan Program.
Sad News: Polish climber Paweł Kopeć has died near CIV (~7300 m) on Nanga Parbat (8126 m). pic.twitter.com/qhJGbRDrj2
— Everest Today (@EverestToday) July 3, 2023
See also:
- First Brothers To Summit 14 Highest Peaks
- Hardest Mountain to Climb
- Nima Rinji Sherpa Becomes Youngest Nanga Parbat Climber
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Fatality Rate at 21% at Nanga Parbat
Mt. Nanga Parbat, at an elevation of 8,126 meters, the ninth-highest mountain in the world, is known for its deadly slopes. Due to its long and steep ice climbing segments with the constant threat of rockfall and avalanches, Nanga Parbat has been listed in the ‘Top 5’ deadliest mountains in the world.
Nicknamed the ‘Killer Mountain,’ Nanga Parbat’s death rate hovers at 21%. This deadly mountain has the highest number of recorded deaths among all other climbing peaks; 84 of the recorded mountaineers, who were attempting to push for the summit of this treacherous mountain lost their life on its slope.
