Winter 2013/14. David Göttler is 35 years old. He has found himself on his first winter expedition to an eight-thousand-meter peak “as if by magic.” Invited by the older and more experienced Simone Moro, he quickly realizes that the ascent of Nanga Parbat is a grueling undertaking: freezing temperatures, storms, and constant avalanche danger make the climb incredibly difficult.
The base camp at the southern foot of the 8,125-meter-high Nanga Parbat lies at just 3,600 meters, and the elevation difference makes the Rupal Face the highest wall in the world. A complex formation of ridges, ribs, pillars, ice fields, and hanging glaciers, the face has a life of its own, constantly rumbling, creaking, crunching, and roaring.
David and Simone are traveling expedition-style, installing fixed ropes and setting up high-altitude camps. It’s slow going, a constant up and down with heavy backpacks — until David sets out alone and reaches an altitude of 7,200 meters. Breaking with the traditional style of ascent is David’s first step on his own path.
Winter 2021/22. David and his climbing partner Hervé Barmasse forgo fixed ropes and high-altitude camps on their winter expedition, carrying everything they need for the climb in their backpacks. The alpine style carries higher risks, but it’s also more enjoyable, and leads to a series of adventures they never could have predicted.
Tom Dauer, born in 1969, grew up in Mexico City and Munich. His parents instilled in him a love of the mountains from an early age, and he later spent many years travelling and mountaineering around the world.
As an alpinist and climber, he has explored the Patagonian Andes, the Himalayas and the Karakoram. He continues to explore and climb on alpine walls to this day. A literature scholar and graduate of the German School of Journalism, Dauer prefers to work in the mountains, where he can combine his profession with his passion.
He is the author of numerous books on mountains, alpinism and adventure, including the definitive work Cerro Torre – Mythos Patagonien, as well as the biographies Reinhard Karl – Ein Leben ohne Wenn und Aber and Kurt Albert – frei klettern, frei denken, frei sein.
For 15 years, he has written a regular column for ALPIN magazine. As a screenwriter and director, Tom Dauer has worked on numerous documentaries, including films about the six great north faces of the Alps, a ski expedition into the unknown, and Marmolata – Queen of the Dolomites. The feature-length documentary Streif – One Hell of a Ride, for which he was awarded the ROMY Austrian Film Prize.
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