Polish Climbing Duo Seizes Comeback on 6200 Meters Trango Tower in Second-Time Winter Ascent After Two Years

Michal Krol and Maciej Kimel are two Polish mountain enthusiasts who are unwilling to give up their dreams of conquering Trango’s Nameless Tower. The duo took their first shot at the expedition a few years back. Upon failing, they reassembled and vowed to come back stronger. 

With the two young Polish climbers all set to live their dreams, there are a few intriguing possibilities that we can explore. Why did the climbers fail the first time? What preparations have the mountaineers taken this time to succeed?

Polish duo pursue hiking glory 

Back in 2022, Krol and Kimel attempted to get to the nameless tower in the Karakoram range. In their previous mission, the duo also had a third climber with them, namely, Janusz Golab. Unfortunately, after making significant progress till 5750 m, their dream got crushed due to avalanches and hostile weather. After getting stuck on the wall for eight consecutive days, the trio did not have a choice but to give up their mission. 

However, both Krol and Kimel kept nurturing their dream and began to prepare accordingly. In a report published by the Polski Himalaizm Sportowy, the Polish duo have equipped themselves with upgraded portaledges. These portaledges are extremely lightweight and will aid the climbers significantly in getting to their destination faster. Speaking about their strategy, Krol stated, “We plan to sleep where we finish climbing each day… We will only take a static rope for towing equipment bags and half ropes for climbing.” 

The use of such a method means they will be ditching the conventional and lengthier method of fixing the ropes while climbing and retreating to the portaledge afterward. In the proposed method, the climb will take significantly less time, however, the climbers must be prepared to encounter every possible hurdle they come across. 

With the Polish climbers determined to conquer the Trango Towers, let’s take a quick sneak peek into the location. 

All about The Trango Towers

The towers are a bunch of granite spires which are situated on the Trango Glacier. These glaciers lie in the way to the Baltoro’s 8000’ers. As a matter of fact, the nameless tower, or the Trango Tower constitutes as the most vertical, symmetrical, and slender one of the lot. The hike to this tower is so steep and perilous that nobody has ever ascended it in the winter.

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The route to this tower was established in 1976 under Martin Boysen’s initiative. It further included significant contributions from Mo Anthoine, Malcolm Howells, and Joe Brown. The terrain covers an 1100m trail up to the South Face. Due to its rugged nature, the route has earned a grade of VI 5.10 A2 in summer. 

With the two Polish mountaineers resilient in their approach to conquer the peak, it remains to be seen whether they will be successful in their quest or not.

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