Romanian climber Horia Colibășanu summits Nanga Parbat, his 11th peak over 8,000m
Renowned Romanian mountaineer Horia Colibășanu reached the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters), the ninth-highest mountain on Earth, on Friday morning, July 4, marking his 11th successful climb of a peak over 8,000 meters. The ascent…
Irina Marica · Journalist
· Updated · 2 min read
Renowned Romanian mountaineer Horia Colibășanu reached the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters), the ninth-highest mountain on Earth, on Friday morning, July 4, marking his 11th successful climb of a peak over 8,000 meters. The ascent represents a major milestone in his ongoing quest to conquer all 14 of the world's eight-thousanders.
Colibășanu's expedition began on June 6 and followed his signature alpine style - without supplemental oxygen and without the aid of Sherpas.
He arrived at base camp (4,200 meters) on June 11 and spent several days acclimatizing before pushing upward. On June 13, he reached Camp 1 (4,800 m), then alternated between climbing and returning to base camp to await favorable weather.
He first reached Camp 2 (6,000 m) on June 19 before descending to recover and prepare for the final push. The summit bid began on June 29. Colibășanu reached Camp 3 (approx. 6,650 m) on July 1 and Camp 4 (7,100 m) on July 3.
Departing from Camp 4 during the night, he climbed for nine hours before reaching the summit the following morning.
"I left Camp 4 last night and reached the summit after nine hours of climbing," Colibășanu said via satellite phone shortly after the ascent, as reported by News.ro.
He also announced his successful climb on social media, saying, "Summit! Today, July 4, at 7:00 AM, I reached the top of Nanga Parbat (8,125 m). A deep feeling of gratitude after nine hours of climbing. It was a long and difficult night."
This was Colibășanu's 26th international expedition. He remains the only Romanian climber to have summited four of the world's five most dangerous mountains, namely K2, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, and Kangchenjunga, without oxygen or Sherpa support.
His accomplishments have earned him international recognition, including the Gold Medal for Sporting Merit from the government of Navarra, the "Spirit of Mountaineering" award from the British Alpine Club, and Romania's highest civilian honor, the National Order "Star of Romania" in the rank of Knight. He is an honorary citizen of Timișoara and Slatina.
