The sister of a Scots climber who died on the world’s ninth-highest mountain has made an emotional pilgrimage to the Himalayan peak where he lost his life.
Kate Ballard’s brother Tom, 30, was climbing Nanga Parbat with Italian Daniele Nardi, 42, when they went missing on February 24.
The 26,660ft peak in Pakistan is dubbed Killer Mountain because of its dangerous conditions.
Search teams found Tom and Daniele’s bodies, which were roped together on a hard-to-reach summit, nearly two weeks later.
The tragedy happened 24 years after Kate and Tom’s mum Alison Hargreaves died while descending K2.
Alison, who was 33, died months after becoming the first woman to conquer Everest unaided.
Kate, 28, said life has been “extremely difficult since February”.
She added: “I trekked to Nanga Parbat base camp simply to see Tom’s last mountain. It’s a magnificent place, days from civilisation, completely wild, untouched and grandiosely glorious.
“Our wish is that Tom will be left at rest on the mountain – at peace, undisturbed – as with mum on K2.”
In 2015, Tom was dubbed the new King of the Alps after he became the first person to solo climb all six major north faces of the mountain range in one winter.
Kate, a ski and snowboarding instructor who also teaches yoga, said: “Tom was the best brother I could have wished for. I could not be more proud.
“He loved me and I love him. He was shy, quiet – although when he spoke, it was worth listening.
“He was in tune with our natural world and he was completely comfortable and at ease in his preferred environment.
“In the mountains, mum and Tom found peace and a sense of freedom.
“They simply loved to climb and were talented enough to do so at the highest level.”
After Alison died in 1995, Kate, Tom and their dad James travelled from their home in Fort William to the spot where Alison had planned her summit of the world’s second-highest mountain.
A BBC documentary team filmed the trip.
Kate later described Alison as the “best mum I could have asked for”.
She added: “She inspired thousands of women worldwide to reach for more in their own lives.”
