Earlier today when posting about the Polish winter K2 team I wrote that they had reached Concordia, which is close to where they will establish Base Camp on the mountain. If you're not familiar with this place, this video will give you a sense of what they are seeing. It is a spectacular point with amazing views of the surrounding mountains, including four 8000-meter peaks – K2, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, and Gasherbrum I. Check it out below.
Showing posts with label Gasherbrum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gasherbrum. Show all posts
Summer Climbing Season in Pakistan Begins
Nanga Parbat is open for business again this year and will welcome a couple of different teams. Alberto Zerain and Mariano Galvan headed to Pakistan from Nepal, and hope to take advantage of the fact that they have already acclimatized on Annapurna and Lhotse respectively. They're on their way to the mountain already where they hope to take on the very difficult Mazeno Ridge route, which includes eight peaks above 6000 meters (19,685 ft).
Over on the Diamir Face two teams will be attempting Nanga Parbat as well. The Dreamers Destination squad has already reached BC and are getting settled there, while a Korean team is currently in Islamabad and preparing to depart for the mountains in the next few days.
A team of international climbers that includes Grace McDonald is already en route to Broad Peak. The team is trekking in the Concordia region now and are expected to have a rest day today before proceeding on tomorrow. They'll soon be joined by a number of other teams as the month goes on, as BP serves as an acclimatization mountain for nearby K2, with some alpinists looking for the double-header this summer by first warming up on Broad Peak then moving over to the technically much more difficult K2.
Speaking of K2, ExWeb reports that Polish climber Andrezej Bargiel will attempt to summit that mountain and ski back down. The site also indicates that Spanish mountaineer Oscar Cadiach is headed to the mountain as well with the hopes of summiting without the use of bottled oxygen. If successful, he'll have done so on all 14 of the 8000 meter peaks. He has just left home yesterday and should arrive in Pakistan sometime today.
Finally, several squads have also turned their attention to the Gasherbrums, with a trio of Spaniards (Alberto Inurrategi, Juan Vallejo, and Mikel Zabalza) hoping to make a traverse of GI and GII in alpine style. They made the same attempt last year but were turned back due to poor weather conditions. The three men are reportedly already in Skardu and preparing to set out for the mountains soon.
ExWeb says Czech climber Marek Holecek is back on Gasherbrum I to attempt the Southwest Face, a route he has been working on for several years now. He'll be joined on that mountain by several commercial teams as well.
As you can see, the season is just starting to ramp up, but there should be plenty of action for us to follow in the days ahead. Of particular interest will be K2, which is always extremely difficult thanks to the technical challenges it presents coupled with the extremely poor weather conditions that are typical there. It should be interesting to see if the mountain will be more accessible this year.
Karakoram Summer 2016: The Final Summit Score of the Season
Now that everyone has left Pakistan for home, we can step back and take a look at how things actually went this year. As usual in the Karakoram, there were some triumphs and some disappointments, but thankfully there were no tragedies.
ExWeb has posted a post-mortem for the climbing season that just wrapped up, providing some insights into everything that went down over the past few months. One of the highlights of the summer was the return of climbers to Nanga Parbat after three years of no teams attempting that mountain. Climbers have mostly steered clear of Nanga since the 2013 attack in Base Camp by a group of terrorists that left 10 people dead. But this year they started to return at last, and three people actually managed to summit.
Over on K2 it was another frustrating season, which is typical of the world's second tallest mountain. Weather often dictates when climbers can go up or down on K2, and this year was no different in that regard. But the real difficult came when a major avalanche destroyed Camp 3 on the mountain, wiping away a large cache of oxygen bottles with it. That left most of the teams no choice but to call it a day and head home. So, while 2016 will be remembered as a year that commercial climbing on K2 increased dramatically. In fact, there were more than 100 climbers on the mountain this year. But in the end the results were typical for the "Savage Mountain" – zero summits on what most believe to be the toughest 8000 meter peak to climb.
In the end, there were only a handful of summits for the entire season. In fact, ExWeb says there were a total of 21. The final tale of the tape indicates that Gasherbrum I and II each had 8 summits, while Nanga Parbat had 3 and Broad Peak had 2. Those numbers are fairly typical for the Karakoram, where the climbing is always difficult, although on occasion we'll have some surprisingly successful years such as 2013 on K2 when more than 40 people reached the top.
Now, with the Karakoram season all wrapped up, our attention will turn towards the Himalaya where the fall climbing season is now getting underway. There will be a couple of attempts on Everest from the North Side in Tibet, but for the most part it looks like a typical year there as well. Many climbers will be attempting Manaslu in the days ahead, with a few expeditions heading to Lhotse, Dhaulagiri, and a few sub-8000 meter peaks too.
Stay tuned in the days ahead, as we'll be keeping a close eye on those expeditions as they unfold.
Karakoram 2016: Czech Climbers Launch Summit Bid on Gasherbrum I
Czech climbers Marek Holecek and Ondra Mandula are now in the midst of a summit push along a route that Holecek has already attempted on three previous occasions. According to ExWeb, the duo set out from BC on Tuesday with the hopes of being into position to complete their climb today. Poor weather has momentarily stalled their attempt however, although they are hoping for conditions to improve this weekend so they can finish the ascent.
When the duo launched this summit push they climbed up to 6000 meters (19,685 ft) on Tuesday, setting up their first camp after a long day in mixed weather conditions. On Wednesday of this week the weather had improved and they set out to climb higher, but as they went, conditions once again deteriorated. Snow began to fall on the mountain, and several avalanches occurred, cutting off their ability to safely descend. Instead, they went up and found shelter near a serac, pitching their tent at 6800 meters (22,309 ft). That is where they have stayed for the past two days, waiting for things to improve. The plan is to wait out the weather, then move up to 7400 meters (24,278 ft) for one last campsite before moving on to the summit.
The new route is one that Holecek has scouted in the past, going up Gasherbrum I's southwest face. As mentioned, the Czech climber has failed to complete his ascent along this new path on three separate occasions, but he now believes that his persistence will pay off and he and Mandula can top out. At this point that all depends on the weather, and the amount of supplies that they have left. Summiting this late in the season is a bit uncommon in the Karakoram, but not unheard of. They will need some luck to go their way however.
We'll be keeping an eye on their progress throughout the next few days. Hopefully they'll find success along this new route, but if not it will be more important that they ascend safely. I'll keep you posted!
Karakoram 2016: Season Grinds to a Halt, Summit Video From Nanga Parbat
Our friend Alan Arnette has put together a wrap-up of the season on his blog with stats and updated summit numbers, the most glaring of which are from K2. As Alan points out there were a record number of permits issued for K2 this season – 112 in total – with a total of zero successful ascents. That gives you an idea of just how tough that climb is, and also how commercial squads are starting to take over the climbing scene there. But unlike Everest, K2 won't surrender its summit easily, and it will be a long time before the conditions are even remotely the same on those two peaks.
Elsewhere, Alan reports that one squad still remains in the region hoping to claim a late summit. A Czech team is still on Gasherbrum I where they are waiting out the weather. It remains to be seen if they'll get another crack at the summit, but the Gasherbrums have seen the most success this summer, so there is a chance we'll see a few more climbers reach the top before we're done.
Finally, we have this video that was shot on Nanga Parbat, where Spaniard Ferran Latorre, Frenchman Hélias Millerioux and Bulgarian Bojan Petrov summited via the Kinshofer route on the Diamir Face. For Ferran it was his 14th 8000 meter peak, and a significant accomplishment. The video shows their final steps onto the summit.
Karakoram 2016: Summits on Nanga Parbat, It's Over on K2
We'll start with an update from Nanga Parbat, where ExWeb is reporting that Ferran Latorre, Helias Millerioux, and Boyan Petrov set off on a summit push yesterday, successfully topping out at 3:30 PM local time. The entire team returned to Camp 4 later that evening, and are now making their way back down the mountain today. For Latorre, this is his 13th 8000-meter peak, all of which have been summited without the use of supplemental oxygen.
It now appears that this may be the only successful climb on Nanga this year however, as most of the other teams are now preparing to head home. ExWeb says that the route just below the Kinshofer Wall is especially unsafe, discouraging any other climbers from proceeding upwards. It looks like Base Camp will be all but abandoned by this coming weekend.
Yesterday we reported that all commercial teams were also departing from K2 after a large avalanche wiped out Camp 3 over the weekend, destroying all of the tents erected there, while also sweeping away the fixed ropes and a cache of oxygen bottles. At the time, there were some independent climbers who were hoping to regroup and make another attempt on the summit sometime next week. Apparently, those climbers have now changed their mind, and will also be leaving BC over the next few days, making it now two years in a row without a single summit on K2.
Over on Broad Peak, poor weather has turned back the latest summit attempt by Spaniard Oscar Cadiach, but his work on the mountain is far from over. After descending yesterday to escape the conditions, Cadiach has now headed back up the mountain and is reportedly in Camp 3 and waiting for a chance to go higher. If he successfully climbs BP, this will be his 14th and final 8000-meter peak, all climbed without supplemental O's.
Finally, on both Gasherbrum I and II, current summit bids have been turned back due to poor weather. Teams are starting to leave those two mountains as well, although ExWeb says there are other climbers who are in Base Camp and waiting for their attempts on the mountain. While summit bids are certainly not imminent, there will be more attempts coming in the days ahead.
That's it for now. More to come soon.
Karakoram 2016: Avalanche Ends Season on K2, Summit Pushes Begin Elsewhere
The big news from this past weekend is that a massive avalanche on K2 has brought an end to the season on the world's second tallest mountain. The avalanche hit Camp 3 on Saturday morning, destroying the tents that were built there, while also washing away the fixed ropes and cache of bottled oxygen that was put in place for upcoming summit bids. Fortunately, no one was in C3 at the time, although there were several teams in Camp 2 and other points on the mountain. All have retreated back to BC due to bad weather conditions.
Now, it seems the teams have decided that the mountain is too unsafe to climb this year, and it appears that most are packing their bags to go home. The avalanche wiped out a lot of hard work to fix ropes and establish C3. With time starting to run short, poor weather a common occurrence, and a lack of bottled oxygen, it now seems like the season is over, at least for the major commercial teams. There are a few independent climbers who are hoping to rally the troops and have another go at the mountain however. They are currently eyeing an early-August attempt, weather permitting.
Meanwhile, ExWeb is reporting that the final summit pushes are now underway on Nanga Parbat and Broad Peak. Fern Latorre, Helias Millerioux, Boyan Petrov are all pushing to the top of NP today, while Spaniard Oscar Cadiach and his team are hoping to top out on BP. ExWeb says that if Cadiach is successful, this will be his 14th and final 8000 meter peak for his resume, all of which have been climbed without the use of bottled oxygen.
Finally, over on Gatherbrum II, a Polish team has been struggling with poor weather all season. They had hoped to reach the top early this week, but deteriorating conditions on that mountain were enough to keep them confined to their tents over the weekend. There are no updates on their progress at this time, but hopefully we'll know more soon.
That's it from Pakistan for today. I'll continue to keep an eye on the mountains for further updates. The season is rapidly coming to close once again, but there are still a few stories to come I'm sure.
Karakoram 2016: K2 Ramps Up, Nanga Parbat Reopens
According to ExWeb, there will be 33 teams of various sizes operating in Pakistan this summer. They'll be focused not just on K2, but also the Gasherbrums, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, and a host of other mountains that are not a part of the 8000-meter club. That will make this one of the busiest seasons in the Karakoram and western Himalaya as well, with some significant expeditions planned.
But it is the continued commercialization of K2 that is receiving a good deal of attention. ExWeb estimates that more than 100 climbers will attempt the "mountaineer's mountain" this summer, which is a larger number than has been seen in the past. Most are a part of a commercial team with Madison Mountaineering, Kobler & Partner, and Seven Summits Treks leading the way.
100 climbers on K2 is a significant number to say the least. While that isn't anywhere close to the number of alpinists on Everest (550+ are said to have summited this year alone), it is a lot of people on a mountain that is widely considered to be the hardest and most dangerous climb on Earth. It is most definitely not a mountain that you want to be caught in a traffic jam on, but that could be a real possibility with this many people making the attempt. Hopefully everyone will stay safe throughout the season.
Meanwhile, over on Nanga Parbat the mountain is opening up again after seeing no summits since 2013. That's when a group of armed gunmen attacked the camp, killing 11 people. Since then, no summer permits have been issued for the mountain, but that will change this year. A couple of small teams are headed to NP with the hope of demonstrating that it is safe to climb, and ready to begin welcoming mountaineers back to its challenging face.
At the moment, these teams are mostly still en route to their various Base Camps or still planning to set out for Pakistan. But things will start to pick up soon. It should be a very interesting season to watch unfold, with K2 remaining the crown jewel. Expect numerous updates on the progress of teams in the weeks ahead.
Summer Climbs 2015: An Update From Gasherbrum I
ExWeb has posted an update on Marek and Tomas' efforts. According to their most recent dispatches, the two climbers have moved up above 7300 meters (23,950 ft), but have been unable to make any further progress over the past few days. GI's summit sits at 8080 meters (26,510 ft), so the team still has a considerable distance to go, but given a good weather window they could potentially finish the ascent and begin heading back down within a couple of days.
They just might get that weather window starting tomorrow. Forecasts indicate that conditions should start to improve over the next few days, potentially allowing them to launch their summit bid. If the weather doesn't get better however, the duo will most likely be forced to retreat. When they set out from Base Camp on August 7 they had planned for a seven day climb. Now, ten days later, they're likely starting to run low on food and supplies.
It has been a very long, and difficult, season in Pakistan this summer. While several teams have found success on Gasherbrum I and II, Broad Peak saw just two summits, and K2 turned away all challengers. Now, everyone except the Czech team has gone home. Marek and Thomas are hoping to wrap up the season in a successful fashion, but the weather must cooperate first.
Either way, we should have news about the ultimate outcome of the expedition in the next few days.
Summer Climbs 2015: Summit Bid on Gasherbrum I Underway
The summer climbing season in the Karakoram isn't over just yet, although just about everyone has gone home at this point. But two Czech climbers remain in the mountains, and have now launched a summit bid on Gasherbrum I along a new route on the Southwest Face.
ExWeb indicates that climbers Marek Holecek and Tomas Petrecek set out from Base Camp last Friday amidst good weather. They had hoped to climb has high as 5600 meters (18,737 ft) that day, before transitioning over to the start of their new route. They are traveling with a cameraman to help document the expedition, and they are now expected to be out of communications while they make an alpine style ascent of the mountain.
The team first arrived in BC on the Gasherbrum Massif back in late July, and spent the first couple of weeks acclimatizing on GII, going as high as 7000 meters (22,965 ft) on that mountain. After that, they returned to Base Camp and waited for a proper weather window to emerge, even as the other climbing teams in Pakistan this summer departed for home. Now, their patience has paid off, and they are finally able to launch their summit bid. We'll just have to wait to see if they are successful.
It has been a long and challenging season in the Karakoram. There have been very few summits to be had, as the weather has made climbing difficult and dangerous. Frequent avalanches on Broad Peak and K2 limited access to the summit, and as a result there has been only one successful ascent of either of those mountains this year. The Gasherbrum peaks have seen a bit more action, with several teams topping out on both GI and GII this season, although even those numbers were not large.
Marek and Tomas' expedition could be the crowning achievement of the season if they are able to complete it successfully. A new route on an 8000-meter peak doesn't happen all that often, and considering the success rate in Pakistan this summer, if they are able to top out it will be an impressive accomplishment. Stay tuned for more updates as they emerge, and keep your fingers crossed that they are able to get up and down safely.
Summer Climbs 2015: ExWeb Posts Summit Round-Up From Pakistan
The summer climbing season is all but over in Pakistan, with just one team remaining to attempt a late summit bid. Most of the squads have already departed their respective Base Camps for home, with only a minimum amount of success this year. In fact, it was one of the more difficult climbing seasons in the Karakoram that we've seen in recent years, with most of the climbers not even getting a sniff of the summit. Poor weather and dangerous conditions made it difficult for anyone to get very high on Broad Peak and K2 in particular, although there was some success on the Gasherbrums.
As the season winds down, ExWeb has posted a complete round-up of the summits from the past few weeks, and as expected there aren't very many of them. Just one on Broad Peak, three on Gasherbrum I, and 13 on GII. Here's the full list according to ExWeb's sources.
Broad Peak
1. Andrzej Bargiel (Poland) : July 25th, 2015
Gasherbrum I
1. Ferran Latorre (Spain) : July 24th, 2015
2. Yannick Graziani (France) : July 24th, 2015
3. Tom Seidensticker (Germany) : July 24th, 2015
Gasherbrum IIAs you can see, two Czech climbers on GII remain unidentified, although they did manage to top out on July 24. The Explorers Web staff promises to update their list once those individuals are identified.
1. Laura González del Castillo (Mexico) : July 16th, 2015
2. Yuri Contreras Cedi (Mexico) : July 16th, 2015
3. Ernst Felix : July 16th, 2015
4. Christof Bartmann : July 16th, 2015
5. Sophie Lavaud (France/Switzerland) : July 16th, 2015
6. Ngima Chhiring Lama (Nepal) : July 16th, 2015
7. Muhammad (Pakistan) : July 16th, 2015
8. Kinga Baranowska (Poland) : July 17th, 2015
9. Kinga’s HAP (Pakistan) : July 17th, 2015
10. Richard Hidalgo (Peru) : July 24th, 2015
11. Martin Gildemeister (Chile) : July 24th, 2015
12. Czech Climber 1 : July 24th, 2015
13. Czech Climber 2 : July 24th, 2015
The most impressive climb of the season definitely goes to Polish mountaineer Andrezej Bargiel, who was able to complete a solo summit of BP, and make a ski descent, in under 8 hours. I've seen his summit listed elsewhere as "unofficial," but unless he can't produce summit photos – which sometimes happens on solo climbs – his expedition will go down as one of the most daring in recent years, especially considering the conditions from this season and lack of summits over all.
ExWeb also indicates that there are two Czech climbers who remain in Base Camp on the Gasherbrum Massif. They are reportedly acclimatized and ready to go, but are waiting for good weather before beginning their summit push. According to the report, they have completed acclimatization efforts on GII, and will now attempt to go up the Southwest Face in Alpine Style.
Hopefully they'll have more luck than most of the other squads this season. I'll report more on their efforts as the news breaks.
Summer Climbs 2015: Controversy Brewing in the Mountains
ExWeb has posted a disturbing article today that I'm sure will leave some members of the mountaineering community very disappointed. Apparently, in a video posted to Mike Horn's Facebook page the body of a fallen climber can be seen, which goes against the code of conduct that most climbers will abide by while documenting their expeditions.
According to the ExWeb story, the warm weather on K2 this year has melted a lot of the snow and ice there, possibly revealing the body in question. The fact that it appears in one of Horn's video has upset some other mountaineers, including Louis Rousseau, who wrote the Swiss climber an impassioned letter about the inclusion of the dead body in a video promoting his K2 climb. ExWeb has a copy of that letter, and has posted it in the article that I linked to above.
I have to say that while I haven't seen the video that Rousseau is referring to, so I don't know what context the body was shown. It could have been an inadvertent shot, or it could have been done on purpose. Either way, Rousseau is right that it is disrespectful to the climber, and his friends and family, to show images of the body, and I'm sure that the Swiss climbers would agree with that sentiment. I have no doubt that Horn will take the video down when given the opportunity. I don't know him at all, but he doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would try to capitalize on the misfortune of others.
Unfortunately, this isn't the only story that is brewing up controversy in the mountains of Pakistan at the moment. In the same article, ExWeb says that there are accusations coming from climber Andrzej Bargiel of climbers failing to assist in the search for Olek Ostrowski, who went missing on GII last weekend after attempting a summit bid and ski descent. Apparently just there high altitude porters went up to look for the missing man, with none of the other teams in BC offering to lend a hand.
Bargiel says that he had just descended from Broad Peak when he heard that Ostrowski had gone missing, and immediately left for the Gasherbrum Massif. In an interview with a Polish climbing magazine, Andrezej says the he feels ashamed for those who did not lend a hand, adding that they felt a summit bid was more important than trying to locate a missing compatriot. Worse yet, he says that there were climbers not just in BC, but in Camps 1 and 2 as well. None came to their aid.
Both of these stories are hard to read, and generally not indicative of the mountaineering community as a whole. Still, the latter story does give an indication of the attitude that climbers had on the Gasherbrums this year, and it is very sad that they wouldn't help search for Olek.
Hopefully this is just an anomaly and not a trend in attitudes.
Summer Climbs 2015: More Teams Depart K2, Summit Push on Broad Peak Thwarted, Tragedy on Gasherbrum II
We'll start today back on K2, where more teams have called it quits. Yesterday I noted that some of the big commercial squads had elected to pull the plug on their expeditions due to safety concerns high on the mountain, and today we learn that others have decided it is time to go home as well. They include the Swiss team of Mike Horn, Fred Roux, and Köbi Reichen, who were the first squad to arrive in BC this year. They made two attempts at the summit, and were turned back by heavy snow both times. They now feel that their best opportunity is behind them, and have begun preparing to start the trek back to Askoli.
The Swiss team isn't the only ones who are leaving. The Seven Summits Treks commercial team is also preparing to depart as well, as is Philippe Gatta who announced on his Facebook page that he'll hit the trail starting tomorrow. Essentially, just about everyone is now abandoning K2 Base Camp, which means there will likely be no summits on the mountain at all this year. That stands in stark contrast to the amazing summer of 2014 when more than 40 climbers stood on top of the "Savage Mountain."
Over on Broad Peak, one day after abandoning their attempt to climb K2, the Himex team launched a summit bid early today, setting out for Camp 3 in light snowfall. Later that would turn into a full-blown storm, with heavy snow falling on the upper slopes of the mountain. The climbers attempted to wait out the storm, but as they pressed forward they found deep, unstable snow that convinced them it was time to turn back. Everyone is back in BC now, and the Himex expedition is over on Broad Peak too. The entire team is now preparing to leave.
There are still a few teams in Base Camp on BP that are waiting to see if they'll get a chance to summit. The weather forecast into next week is not promising, but there is a chance that things will improve after that. The remaining squads are just holding on for a glimmer of hope, but at the moment it appears that there just might be only one summit on Broad Peak for the entire season.
Finally, ExWeb is reporting that efforts to locate a missing climber on Gasherbrum II has been called off. Polish mountaineer/skier Olek Ostrowski went missing this past weekend when he was descending from Camp 2 to Camp 1. He had been attempting to summit the mountain, and then make a ski descent, but bad weather forced him to turn back. It is believed that he fell into a crevasse on the descent, but all attempts to find him came up empty. Continued bad weather and deteriorating conditions have hampered any further efforts to find Olek, who is now believed to have lost his life on the mountain. My condolences to his friends and family.
That's all for today. It is now safe to say that there won't be many more updates from Pakistan this summer. The season is almost at an end, and it has been a difficult one to say the least. I'll continue to monitor the situation on the ground there, but for the most part there will be few teams left to report on as of tomorrow.
Summer Climbs 2015: Summits on Gasherbrum II, More to Come
ExWeb says that the summit team included the following mountaineers: Laura González del Castillo, Yuri Contreras Cedi, Ernst Felix, Christof Bartmann, Sophie Lavaud, Ngima Chhiring Lama, Nga Dorchi Sherpa. Of those, Sophie Lavaud has managed to complete the climb without the use of supplemental oxygen.
Reportedly the group spent 16 hours on their summit push, battling heavy snow all the way to the top. Team leaders Peter Schatzl, Sherpa Ngima and Dorchi and high-altitude porter Muhammad did most of the route fixing, leading the way from BC to the summit according to ExWeb's sources.
The success on GII from yesterday is likely to be duplicated today. A second wave of climbers was already in Camp 3 and preparing to make a move up to the summit today. That group reportedly has a good weather window, and with the trail already broken, they should have a better time moving up and down the mountain than the previous summiteers.
Nearby, summit bids are already underway on Gasherbrum I as well. A team of four climbers had moved up to 7100 meters (23,293 ft) yesterday, and should be making their push today too. Apparently, they are also facing heavy snows near the top, and are having to break trail on their way to the summit. If all goes according to plan, they should complete the ascent today, and return to C3 before descending to Base Camp tomorrow.
Meanwhile, over on K2 the acclimatization efforts from teams like Himex and Madison Mountaineering continues as usual. Those teams are making slow, but steady progress towards preparing their bodies for an eventual summit push of their own. That is probably still a couple of weeks off, depending on the weather. But so far, things are progressing as you would expect.
The Swiss trio of Mike Horn, Fred Roux, and Köbi Reichen had climbed up to C3 on K2 a few days back, and were hoping to make a summit bid this weekend. There has been no word from the team since they set off from Base Camp, but according to Horn's GPS tracking, it appears that they have abandoned their summit push and have returned to BC as well. We'll have to wait for the team's next dispatch to know exactly what is happening, but it seems for now they are not ready to proceed up above 7500 meters (24,606 ft).
That's all for now. We'll continue to keep an eye on the teams climbing in Pakistan and bring updates as warranted.
Summer Climbs 2015: Summit Bids Begin in Pakistan
The Swiss team of Mike Horn, Fred Roux, and Köbi Reichen have been on K2 longer than anyone else, and they wrapped up their final acclimatization round last week. After returning to Base Camp, the trio had to wait for poor weather to pass before launching their summit bid, which began two days ago. The plan is to reach 7500 meters (24,606 ft) today with the hopes of pressing on to the top in another day or two, provided the weather remains good.
Meanwhile, ExWeb is reporting that summit bids are also underway on Gasherbrum I and II, where a weather window opened yesterday and teams have begun moving up to take advantage of it. On GI, independent climbing teams have joined forces to work together on their push to the top, while the commercial squad of Kobler & Partner is organizing the summit push on GII. Ropes have been fixed on both peaks to Camp 3, which is where the climbers are headed today. Once there, they'll evaluate the situation, check the weather forecasts, and decide whether or not they should proceed up to the summit.
The Madison Mountaineering team climbed up to Camp 2 on K2 today as they continued to acclimatize on that mountain. The squad's latest dispatch indicates that everyone is doing well and progressing according to plan.
Australian climber Chris Jensen Burke is back on Broad Peak this year, where she missed out on the summit last summer but still managed to nab K2. She indicates that her team has completed its first acclimatization rotation, spending the night in Camp 1. Chris is back in BC now however, but will soon go back up once again, this time touching C2 as she prepares for an eventual summit bid. She reports very good weather on the mountain at the moment, which bodes well for the climbers.
Also on BP is Billi Bierling, who will be going for the double header of Broad Peak and K2 this year. She's back in K2 Base Camp at the moment, where she is resting up before heading up the slopes to Camp 3. She says that things are also going well, and that she hopes to top out sometime near the end of the month.
That's it for today. I'll be keeping an eye on the current summit bids to see how everyone fares. If the weather holds, than we could see the first summits of the season in the next few days.
Summer Climbs 2015: Expeditions Unfolding on K2, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrums
British climber David Tait has his eyes on K2 this year after summiting Everest on five separate occasions. He's currently acclimatizing on Broad Peak at the moment, where he hope to prepare his body for the challenges ahead. He reports that conditions on BP are very cold at the moment, but that the expedition is proceeding according to plan. Yesterday, he and his team climbed up to Camp 2 as part of their acclimatization process, where he spent a very chilly night after forgetting his sleeping pad back in BC, a lesson he says he'll only need to be taught once.
Chris Jensen Burke is headed back to Broad Peak this summer as well. She made an attempt on the mountain last year but was turned back due to bad weather. She did go on to successfully summit K2 however, but the Aussie woman still has unfinished business with BP. At the moment she is still trekking towards Base Camp, which she should reach in the next few days. Her expedition was delayed for four straight days due to flights to Skardu being cancelled. Now, she's ready to get down to work and add yet another 8000-meter peak to her resume.
The Madison Mountaineering team, which includes American climber Vanessa O'Brien, is also attempting the Broad Peak-K2 double header this summer. The squad is currently trekking towards Base Camp as well, and should arrive there today. They'll take a day or two to get their legs – and lungs – in order before they start moving up the slope.
Over in K2 Base Camp, the Himex team is finding the weather to be both pleasant and warm. Temperatures in BC are said to be in the 25-30ºC /77-86ºF, which is actually quite comfortable in the mountains. K2 is well known for its poor weather, but currently it is pleasant there, although that can change very quickly. While the weather may be good however, the conditions on the mountain remain difficult. There were no less than five avalanches throughout the day yesterday, and possibly three more over night. Those avalanches are covering BC in a fine dust of snow, but there is no danger to the climbers encamped there. As they move up to C1 and C2 however, they'll need to take great caution.
Climber/journalist Billi Bierling is in Base Camp on K2, where she reports that the setting is simply stunning. She arrived there on the first of July, and is now on her first acclamation rotation. The team had its Puja ceremony on July 3 ahead of the start of their climbing activities, and now things are starting to heat up. She'll probably go up to C2 on this first round, before descending back to BC for a rest.
The team of Mike Horn, Fred Roux, and Köbi Reichen was the first to arrive in K2 Base Camp, and as such they are at the front of the climbing schedule. The team has now gone as high as Camp 3 where they are currently stashing gear and plan to spend the night to night. From there, they'll descend back to BC where they'll begin waiting and watching the weather. When conditions are good, the trio of Swiss climbers intend to set off on the first summit bid of the season.
ExWeb has an update on the unfolding climbing season on Gasherbrum I and II, where teams are still getting settled. The squads on that mountain have started their first rotation as well, although they report poor weather conditions including high winds, heavy snow, and low visibility. Teams headed up to Camp 1 and 2 a few days back, and are taking advantage of whatever weather windows they are given to make progress.
That's all for today. I'll post more updates in the days ahead as things begin to unfold. Right now, it is all about acclimatization and preparing for summit bids, which for most are still a few weeks off. Stay tuned.
Pakistan 2014: Success on Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II, Progress on K2
We'll start on BP, where most teams set out from Base Camp on Monday, with the promise of good weather, and a wide window. Those forecasts proved to be true, and teams report great summit conditions as they approached the top yesterday and today. Amongst those summiting were Romanian climber Alex Gavin, who topped out along, with climbing partners Boyan Petrov and Ivan Tomov, both of Bulgaria. They completed their climb yesterday, and have already begun their descent back to BC.
The second round of summit pushes are underway today, and ExWeb has indicated that Spanish climber Jesus Morales also topped out at 6:15 AM local time. He is the first of a large group of climbers heading up today, and we should expect to hear about more successful summits shortly.
Not everyone found success on Broad Peak however. Oscar Cadiach, climbing with Anna Pujol and Jean Marc Flores, was headed for the summit this morning as well, but was forced to turn back just 22 meters (72 feet) from the top. Cadiach's home team reports that Oriol Ribas continued up alone, but it is unclear if he reached the summit or not. Oscar, Anna, and Jean will retreat to Camp 3 for now, and reevaluate the situation. The good weather window is expected to last through the weekend, and they may have another go at the summit before they leave the mountain.
Similarly, ExWeb is reporting that the Polish team climbing Broad Peak turned back 100 meters (328 feet) below the summit as well, and have retreated back down the mountain. They were attempting the BP Middle, while a group of their countrymen will have a go at the main summit today. No word yet on their success.
Over on Gasherbrum II, Turkish climber Tunç Findik has successfully topped out as well. Tunç topped out at 10 AM local time as part of a team of international climbers. ExWeb says this is his 11 8000-meter peak, leaving him just three to go before he has climbed them all.
On K2, things will start to get interesting tomorrow, when the first teams should be approaching the summit, or at the very least, in position to make their summit bids over the next few days. Alan Arnette checked in from Camp 2 this morning, and reports that all is going well. After feeling a bit under the weather yesterday, Alan has rebounded today, and indicated that he enjoyed the very technical climbing up the slopes of the mountain this morning. He said that falling rocks have made things a bit treacherous, and a large rock struck one of the Sherpas, drawing blood in the process. But he is doing well, and the injury was treated at C2.
In an audio dispatch, Alan says that his squad is on track to summit on Sunday, but there are several teams above them on the mountain who have plans to top out tomorrow or Saturday. Weather conditions remain quite good, and this may be the longest, and best, weather window to appear on K2 in several years. But this is K2, the "Savage Mountain," and things can change very quickly. On top of that, the severe weather is just one part of the challenge, and the mountain has other obstacles to throw at the climbers yet. Hopefully, everyone will get up and down safely, and we'll see at least a few climbers standing on the summit.
More updates to come soon. The main summit season is underway in Pakistan now, and will likely last for a few more days. Climbers will be taking advantage of it while they can.
Pakistan 2014: Summit Push Begins on K2, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum II
Over the past few days, Alan Arnette has continued to release a string of dispatches sharing his experiences on K2. He reported that heavy snow and high winds have made things challenging, even in Base Camp, where avalanches were a regular occurrence. But the weather is expected to improve starting today, with favorable conditions expected to last into next week. That is an unusually long weather window for K2, so everyone is hoping to take advantage of it, even if they haven't had a chance to complete their full acclimatization rotations.
Alan, and the rest of his team, will leave BC today to begin their summit push. Over the next few days he'll be proceeding upwards to each of the successive camps with the hopes of reaching C4 on Saturday, then going for the summit in the early hours of Sunday. He'll provide brief updates on his progress while he can, but all of his efforts will be focused on climbing this "Mountaineer's Mountain" over the next few days.
He won't be alone in his efforts to reach the summit. Al Hancock and Adrian Hayes have also began their summit bids. They have had the opportunity to fully acclimatize, and are now ready to stand on the summit. Since they have spent some time at Camp 3 already, they'll have an accelerated schedule, with the hope of topping out on Friday or Saturday of this week. The duo will release no further dispatches until they return from the summit push, as they'll now leave behind any unnecessary gear to move faster and lighter, and carry more important items with them.
Chris Jensen Burke has also launched her summit bid. You may recall, she warmed up on Broad Peak, acclimatizing on that mountain, and moved over to K2 last week after a failed summit bid on BP. With her acclimatization process wrapped up however, she now feels strong enough to go for the top of K2. Chris will leave for the summit today, with the hopes of reaching that point on Saturday. She reports that rope fixing efforts on the Bottleneck and the Traverse are still underway, but there is good cooperation amongst the teams. Good weather will make things a bit more secure, but she says there are still some concerns about soft snow around Camp 3, which could cause issues.
Over on Broad Peak, the climbers are ready to take advantage of the long weather window as well. Unlike on K2, the teams are well acclimatized, and have been waiting for this opportunity for some time. BP being a much less challenging mountain has allowed them to use an abbreviate schedule, and as a result, most of the teams hope to be in Camp 3 today, and make their summit bid tomorrow. If successful, it will be the first summits of the season on the mountain, which has had some poor weather early in the season, but condition seem to support plenty of success in the days ahead.
On Masherbrum, there has been little word from David Lama and his squad. Presumably, they are busy working away on the very difficult face they have chosen to climb, but there is little to report on their progress. The few dispatches that they have released have hardly mentioned their status. Hopefully they'll have the opportunity to take advantage of the weather window too, and we'll learn more about their efforts in the days ahead.
Finally, Turkish climber Tunç Findik has already launched his summit bid on Gasherbrum II. He, and his teammates, left Base Camp yesterday and are hoping to top out on Thursday. Their weather window is not quite so long, but the team is ready, and they are looking to take advantage of any opportunity that comes their way. Once this climb is wrapped up, Findik also hopes to make an attempt on Gasherbrum I as well.
Stay tuned. It should be a very busy week in the mountains of Pakistan. Lets hope everyone gets up and down the mountains safely. The weather will be in their favor, but these are still some difficult peaks.
Pakistan 2014: Summit Push Aborted on Broad Peak, Struggles on K2
Australian climber Chris Jensen Burke is amongst those who started their summit push on Broad Peak last week, and hoped to top out today. But an update posted just a few hours ago indicates that she was forced to turn back after encountering waist-deep snow at 7400 meters (24,278 feet). Burke says that there are no fixed ropes to the summit yet, and that breaking trail under those conditions was incredibly exhausting. As a result of those tough conditions, there have been no summits on BP this season, although Chris things that will change soon, as more teams get focused on their climb. Unfortunately for her, she won't be around to join them. With her acclimatization over, and a single summit attempt complete, she now moves over to K2 Base Camp to begin focusing on that mountain.
The weather on Broad Peak is expected to improve starting tomorrow, which should allow other teams to finish the installation of the fixed ropes, and perhaps even launch a new round of summit bids. Others are still getting acclimatized, so it may be another week or two before the action on BP truly heats up. Some of the teams that were on the mountain early are ready to go, but others are still getting settled. Either way, it'll probably be the weekend at the earliest before anyone can attempt to reach the top again.
Over on K2, nearly every team is currently on an acclimatization rotation. Unfortunately, high winds are preventing most of the climbers from going above Camp 2, so most are either in C1 or have climbed up to that point. Amongst them are Adrian Hayes and Al Hancock, who are climbing together. Yesterday they climbed above C2, but found the high winds unbearable, with cold temperatures just making the entire situation worse. When it became clear that they weren't going to reach C3, they turned back, and spent the night in Camp 2. Today, they'll descend back to Base Camp, with their second rotation complete. Al says that after resting there, they'll be ready for a summit push, although it is unclear when the mountain will allow them to launch that attempt.
ExWeb is reporting that one climber has managed to reach Camp 3 on K2. Finnish mountaineer Samuli Mansikka sent a dispatch that he had arrived in C3 after battling poor conditions. But, he indicated that once he was there, conditions improved quite a bit. That bodes well for others to follow, but a true summit push is still sometime off.
It has been a couple of days since Alan Arnette has checked in from K2, but when he issued his last dispatch, he had reached Camp 1 as part of his first rotation. He indicated that the "Savage Mountain" lives up to its reputation, challenging climbers with every step. Even relatively early in the climb, the slopes are steep, and technical, requiring concentration with every step. From Camp 1, it will only get more difficult, but for now, Alan is acclimatizing and going through all the steps he needs to give himself a shot at the summit. Look for him to return to Base Camp in another day or two, and he'll likely post another update at that time.
Finally, over on the Gasherbrums, Turkish climber Tunç Finkik has returned to Base Camp on GII after going as high as Camp 2 last week. There haven't been many details released just yet, but it appears that things are going according to plan, with no major issues thus far.
That's all from Pakistan for now. Expect summit pushes on Broad Peak to resume again soon, while elsewhere the teams acclimatize and prepare for the challenges ahead.
Pakistan 2014: Summit Push Begins on Broad Peak, Teams Ready to Climb on K2
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| Photo Courtesy of Alan Arnette |
Chris Jensen Burke has checked in from Broad Peak where she reports that she, and her Sherpa Lapka, are now ready to begin their final summit push. They will leave today, and go as high as they can before turning back. Their hope is to reach the summit, but the main goal is K2, so they will use their experience on BP to acclimatize before joining the teams on that massive mountain. Chris says that there is heavy snow high on the slopes of Broad Peak, which will make it tough to break trail. She also indicated that the ropes are not fixed above Camp 2, so there is some work to be done in that regard. Apparently, not all of the team in Base Camp are willing to pull their weight in terms of contributing to those efforts.
In her latest dispatch, the Aussie climber reported seeing a Bulgarian climber heading up towards the summit this morning. ExWeb speculates that that would be Boyan Petrov, who had reached 7700 meters (25,262 ft) on June 30, and has been waiting to make a final summit bid ever since. If all goes well, he should top out this weekend.
Burke also reports that Australian climber Gavin Vickers has left BC on Broad Peak. He turned his ankle on a descent from Camp 1 a few days back, and did enough damage to prevent him from climbing higher. It's a sad way to end an expedition.
Meanwhile over on K2, Alan Arnette has already been living up to his promise of covering a climb of that mountain like never before. He has been making daily dispatches from Base Camp, sharing insights and news from the second tallest mountain on the planet. His latest dispatch indicated that the teams completed their Puja Ceremony this morning, and that Alan and his teammates were setting off for Advanced Base Camp this afternoon. Alan reports good weather there at the moment, and says that the Puja was one of the best he had ever taken part in.
For those who don't know, the Puja Ceremony is conducted by Buddhist monks, who ask the mountain gods for permission to climb. The mountaineers, and their equipment, receive blessings for safe passage, and in the Himalaya of Nepal and Tibet, the ceremonies are standard operating procedure. That tradition has carried over to other big mountains where the Sherpas climb in support as well.
Alan says that this was a particularly good Puja for several reasons. First, unlike on Everest where there are dozens of teams and hundreds of climbers, in K2 BC the teams are small and their are fewer people. This has led to more cohesive bonds between everyone in Base Camp. The other reason this was such a memorable Puja, is that the clear skies and great weather have given everyone an unfettered view of the mountain, including the summit which they'll all be aspiring to reach.
On Gasherbrum I, Tunç Findik has started his acclimatization process. He is currently up at Camp 2, located at 6400 meters (20,997 ft). That's great progress already for a climber who just reached BC a few days back. Tunç is running a bit behind his own schedule however, so he is most likely working hard to make up ground.
Finally, David Lama has checked in from Base Camp on Masherbrum. He reports that bad weather is expected there in the next few days, so he and his team are settling in before proceeding up. He, and his team, are attempting to summit along a tough new route after acclimatizing on Broad Peak a few weeks back.
More updates next week, including the news of possible summits on BP. Stay tuned.