The father of a British climber in the Himalayas fears Pakistan's 'Killer Mountain' will claim his son's life, just 24 years after wife Alison Hargreaves, who was the first woman in history to conquer the Earth’s apex — 29,029 feet high, without an Oxygen bottle, died on its frozen peaks.
Tom Ballard, 30, from Derbyshire, was reported missing on Nanga Parbat earlier this week with Italian Daniele Nardi, 42. The pair last made contact on Sunday, from an altitude of about 20,500ft (6,250m) on Nanga Parbat.
In 1995, Tom's mother died on the same treacherous peak having become famous as the first woman to scale Everest solo.
Jim Ballard, his father, told the Times: 'This takes me back to those days.' He highlighted that he wouldn't discuss his son's plight but said the feeling was similar to that of when he was waiting for news of his wife's whereabouts in 1995.
Tom Ballard (left and right) and Italian climber Daniele Nardi are trying to reach the summit of Nanga Parbat - nicknamed "Killer Mountain". The last contact from the pair was on Sunday, from an altitude of about 6,300m
Alison Hargreaves and Jim Ballard with their children Tom and his sister Kate before her fatal descent of the mountain in 1995
Jim remains hopeful for his son (right) despite temperatures plunging to minus 40C and winds at 200mph on Nanga Parbat and has said that it reminds him of when his wife Alison (left) went missing
Daniele Nardi (right) and Tom Ballard (left) were reported missing earlier this week as tensions between Pakistan and India continued to rise
He added: 'When the news broke there was no helicopter and we couldn't get one to the base camp at K2. But the same day the Pakistani military became interested and said they could send one and did.'
Alison had been a skilled climber and had previously conquered Everest solo, without an Oxygen bottle. She reached the peak of Mount Everest on May 13 1995 and is reportedly said to have sent a radio message to her children which said: 'To Tom and Kate, my dear children, I am on the highest point of the world, and I love you dearly.'
The excitement of Alison's triumph swept the media and the whole country rallied behind the explorer. However, the happiness was short-lived and exactly three months later reached the summit of K2 in Pakistan, the world’s second-highest peak.
Just hours later, she and five others died when they were engulfed by a storm with fierce winds that rose up the mountain.
Now, temperatures on the mountain are said to be at least minus 40C, with winds ranging from 120mph to 200mph.
Jim told the paper he knows that finding his son alive will not be easy, 'like finding a green beer mat on the pitch at Twickenham.'
Initial search plans were prevented on Thursday when Pakistan closed its air space after it shot down two Indian military planes, but two army helicopters were eventually drafted in.
Tom Ballard, 30, (left and right) was reported missing earlier this week on the notorious K2 peak in the Pakistani Himalayas
Tom (left and right) is missing with Italian Daniele Nardi and his father has said that he wouldn't give up hope for his son
Mr Ballard's Italian girlfriend Stefania Pederiva has also been waiting for news of Tom and her mother said that she has been 'crying constantly' since learning that he was missing.
Jim told the Times he would not give up: 'From the last phone call, seven to ten days is not unreasonable, even though he might be cold and not feeling too well.'
Russian mountaineers on K2 offered to support the rescue mission on Friday, with flights scheduled after an agreement was reached with the Italian embassy and the Pakistani air force.
However the weather was deemed too dangerous, but Italian Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo said he is hopeful the search can continue again on Saturday.
In the search for Daniele (left) and Tom (right) drones were due to be operated from close to the mountain's base camp and an army helicopter was also set to search for the pair
Tom (pictured above) from Derbyshire, is an experienced climber and the first person to solo climb all six major north faces of the Alps in one winter
Tom (left and right) is said to have moved to Scotland in the same year his mother Alison Hargreaves died on K2 when she was just 33-years-old
He said: 'What happened during the night is the Russian team with whom I have been in contact with found it was too dangerous to try (and find the men) on foot.
'The second option is Alex Txikon, the Basque climber who had two years ago been on Nanga Parbat, has a team of three people with him - among them a doctor - and he also has these three drones with cameras and equipment to pick up traces of life.
'Today the weather was certainly not flyable from Nanga Parbat to K2 and back.
'Tomorrow we hope to do that - bring him over with his equipment and he will be based in basecamp and fly his drones over the area that both Nardi and Ballard could be found.
'If they find something then we'll have to go and get them.
'It is a complicated process. Yesterday we got special permission to fly.
'Unfortunately the helicopter with a Pakistani mountaineer on board could not find any traces. Today it was not possible, we'll try tomorrow.'
Mr Ballard moved to Scotland in the same year his mother, Alison Hargreaves, died on K2 when she was 33.
Sandy Allan, a family friend of Mr Ballard's from Newtonmore in the Highlands, has climbed Nanga Parbat twice and said he is worried about the 'competent mountaineer'.
He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: 'I knew Tom when he was younger and I'd climbed with him and his mother, Tom's an exceptional climber, he's not done a great deal in the Himalayas but he's done enough to know how to look after himself very well.
'Some people thought Tom was a little bit of a loner but he climbed to a very high standard and I suppose a lot of his routes were quite esoteric.
'But he's a normal human being with a passion for climbing.
'It's a lot colder and that makes it incredibly uncomfortable but if you're a climber like Tom, it's one of the big challenges for people to do so I can understand why he'd want to go there.'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/02/father-of-british-climber-missing-on-k2-says-he-is-reliving-the-wait-for-his-wife-who-died-in-1995/
Main photo article The father of a British climber in the Himalayas fears Pakistan’s ‘Killer Mountain’ will claim his son’s life, just 24 years after wife Alison Hargreaves, who was the first woman in history to conquer the Earth’s apex — 29,029 feet high, without an Oxygen bottle, died on i...
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Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/02/07/10483620-6762917-Tom_Ballard-m-44_1551513303423.jpg
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