Nanga Parbat is known as the “Killer Mountain” because of its historically high climbing fatality rate.
Nanga Parbat rises to 8,126 metres in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, at the western end of the Himalayan range. Its name is commonly translated from Sanskrit as “Naked Mountain,” referring to its prominent, exposed appearance.
The mountain gained its grim nickname because many climbers died on its difficult routes, especially before modern equipment, forecasting and rescue systems improved. Its enormous Rupal Face is one of the highest mountain faces in the world and rises dramatically above the surrounding valleys.
An Austrian-German expedition led by Hermann Buhl made the first successful ascent in 1953. Nanga Parbat is sometimes grouped with the Karakoram in casual discussions of high Asian mountains, but geographically it is generally treated as the westernmost major Himalayan eight-thousander.