Following the press conference yesterday in Milan, the official countdown to the start of The North Face Winter expedition to Nanga Parbat, a epic adventure to watch out for. The team will depart Italy on the 26th of December, heading straight to Islamabad, after which Moro and Urubko will leave the capital city travelling along the Karakorum Highway and trekking to the Diamir Face of Nanga Parbat, to set up base camp to gradually start the acclimatization phase. The timing of the expedition will be defined by the weather conditions that they will face between the end of January and March 2012.
Present at the press conference was Reinhold Messner; the first man to ever climb Mt. Everest without oxygen and is known to be the first man to climb all fourteen 8,000m peaks in the world.
At the press conference Simone Moro said “In few days the cold and silence will be the elements around me. I just hope to be lucky with the weather conditions and ready to take and use the right moment to attempt safely the summit. In any case will be a great adventure”.
Moro and Urubko who successfully completed the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum II (8025m) in February 2011, will be joined by Italian photographer Matteo Zanga. Zanga, based at the Nanga Parbat base camp, will update on the progress of the expedition. This will give the opportunity to all the outdoors enthusiasts and Moro and Urubko supporters to follow them in real time through the official The North Face® communication channels.
The Expedition KIT
The guys would be having top of the range Summit Series apparel, footwear and technical equipment that will help them face the variety of Himalayan winter weather conditions. They will wear the new Meru Gore jacket and bibs, light and breathable, when agility will be required by the pure alpine style of their ascent. On the higher altitudes, Simone and Denis will use the new Shaffle jacket and the iconic Himalayan suit, which preserves freedom of movement while ensuring superior warmth in extreme weather condition.
Their equipments will consist of classical pieces of The North Face® Outdoor collections, like Prophet backpack and new innovative products from Fall 2012 selection- (Some key products to watch out for in November 2012)
Watch out for more to come on this space.