{"id":110866,"date":"2025-12-25T08:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T08:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/explorersweb.com\/?p=110866"},"modified":"2025-12-24T22:41:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T22:41:40","slug":"top-10-expeditions-of-2025-6-urubko-and-cardells-new-route-on-nanga-parbat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explorersweb.com\/top-10-expeditions-of-2025-6-urubko-and-cardells-new-route-on-nanga-parbat\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Expeditions of 2025 – #6: Urubko and Cardell’s New Route on Nanga Parbat"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, a legendary high-altitude climber and his courageous life partner opened a new alpine-style route on Nanga Parbat, the so-called Killer Mountain of Pakistan’s Himalaya.<\/p>\n

Denis Urubko, 52, of Russia, one of the best high-altitude climbers in history, had supposedly retired from the higher peaks some years ago. But a new goal prompted his return: He wanted to help his wife, Maria Cardell, 50, become the first woman to climb a new 8,000m route in alpine style.<\/p>\n

However, no matter how much experience and support Urubko could provide, the effort was totally Cardell’s. And that is the most impressive aspect of this Nanga Parbat expedition — how the Spaniard rose to meet the challenge.<\/p>\n

\"Denis

File image of Denis Urubko and Maria Cardell. Photo: Denis Urubko\/Mountain.ru<\/p><\/div>\n

Climbing Urubko-style<\/h2>\n

The humble, soft-spoken Maria Cardell not only climbed a new route in alpine style on 8,126m Nanga Parbat; she has climbed it in pure Denis Urubko style, without being Denis Urubko. Bear in mind that the Russian’s imprint through his seven new <\/a>Himalayan <\/a>routes<\/a> all involved relentless endurance and stubborn progress in poor weather and difficult conditions. Rescue is never an option with him. Trying to climb Urubko-style is more than meritable. It is scary.<\/p>\n

Cardell is more of a sport rock climber and a ski patroller than a high-altitude mountaineer, but Urubko introduced her to elite alpinism through brutal training in the Caucasus, where they climbed several peaks in rough weather. In 2023, they attempted a new, alpine-style route on Gasherbrum I<\/a>, but high winds stopped them. Luckily for Cardell, they had already climbed the peak’s normal route<\/a> for acclimatization; it gave Cardell her first 8,000m summit. It was Urubko\u2019s 27th without bottled oxygen.<\/p>\n

\"person

Maria Cardell looks toward Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi from a tent pitched at 4,500m. Photo: Denis Urubko<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The following winter, in January 2024, Urubko attempted Gasherbrum I again, but suffered frostbite after falling into a crevasse on the Gasherbrum Glacier. It required a long recovery, but the Russian was determined to get Cardell into mountaineering history, and she was willing.<\/p>\n

Pakistan 2025<\/h2>\n

The couple chose the Diamir side of Nanga Parbat, the site of most climbing routes on the mountain, including the normal Kinshofer route. They traveled to Skardu early in the season, in June, and followed an innovative acclimatization program<\/a>. It consisted of climbing 4,000m and 5,000m peaks in a day, moving very fast, and returning for the night to a camp at a lower altitude. Here, they recovered better and faster than they would have at the higher Base Camp of an 8,000’er.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Masha [Maria Cardell] can\u2019t keep up, I\u2019ll try it solo,\u201d Urubko wrote in an email to Mountain.ru.<\/p>\n

She could.<\/p>\n

The couple moved to Nanga Parbat’s Base Camp, but kept a low profile. Meanwhile, commercial teams fixed the normal route and eventually summited<\/a> at the beginning of July. One day later, Urubko broke his silence.<\/p>\n

Dangerously old-fashioned<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe route is calling<\/a>,\u201d Urubko texted on July 4. “It’s time to turn the dream into reality.”<\/p>\n

He told his home team they expected to be four or five days on the face. Climbers in the area reported very dry conditions and frequent, dangerous rockfall. Later, we learned that the pair carried no InReach, no satphone, no GPS,\u00a0 not even a radio to communicate with the base of the mountain. Urubko had made clear they wanted no rescue in case of trouble, so no one else had to risk their lives.<\/p>\n

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