After several borderline solo ascents of incredibly difficult routes in the Himalayas, Tomas Humar died last week during another solo attempt, on the Langtang Lirung, from the consequences of a fall and a delayed rescue operation. In 2005, he was somehow miraculously rescued from the slopes of the Rupal flank of Nanga Parbat by a Pakistanian army helicopter flying at the boundaries of its possibilities.
Following Messner‘s lead, Humar favoured a light-and-fast climbing style which allowed for faster climbs but left him open to difficulties in the case of bad weather. Here is a picture of the contents of his backpack from the 2005 Nanga Parbat expedition that shows how light he climbed!
