K2 2017 Season Coverage: Weather Stalls Progress

Right on cue, bad weather moved into the Karakorum stopping a proposed summit attempt on Broad Peak and some rope fixing on K2. However, there has been progress in spots.

Grace McDonald on Broad Peak with Furtenbach Adventures summed it all up perhaps for everyone in the Karakorum today:

I made a stormy descent to base camp this morn while snow continues to dump on the mountain. I’m looking at alternative summit windows with other teams.

Broad Peak: Stalled

Lucas Furtenbach of Furtenbach Adventures described the poor weather that stopped their Monday summit plans:

Weather forecast changed again so team forced to stay down at basecamp and wait. Lead guide Rupert Hauer went up to C2 with a sherpa to recover gear from destroyed tents after a storm. Lots of snow high up on the mountain. End of coming week looks like what could be a stable and calm summit window. Fingers crossed????

No news regarding teams that refuse to contribute anything. Blame and shame will follow after summit push. And a report to the officials????

Also on Broad Peak is Maaz Maqsood with his Team Maaz. This young climber is eager to do the climb for his country. He is accompanied by two high altitude porters from village Hushe. He told me “that’s the theme of my TEAM MAAZ where I climb with local mountain’s people in Pakistan, we are like brothers. Ali Durrani N Rozi Ali will be with me.”

He posted:

Can it Happen? the challenges r enormous, its gonna be the first Pakistani Expedition to the broad peak, where we all are Pakistani national ..we are really like three brothers, the relationship we have between us is like a brothers even we all the members of TEAM MAAZ are same, we are like brothers n we take care of each other up there, its our first priority always

K2: Routes Starting

Climbers on K2 are also stalled today but the route is in to C2.

Fredrik Sträng on K2 notes the weather has been warm and the avalanche conditions are high.

Looks like it’s going to snow for a while… probably will start hearing the avalanches coming crushing down soon.

However,  Mingma G.   noted progress on the Abruzzi:

We finished route to camp2 on K2 and we are waiting for next window to go camp 4.

The commercial team run by Russell Brice, Himex , posted this update on the Česen Route aka Basque Route:

After our good start we have been somewhat hindered by unsettled weather. It has not really been good enough to push through the technical and exacting route from the top of the fixed ropes to C2. We did give it a try yesterday but it was too cold and too windy to fix rope although all Sherpa’s, HAP and members did go to C1 and back to BC for lunch.

Another K2 team to watch are the Poles who are scouting K2 for their anticipated winter attempt later this year. Lead by Jerzy Natkański they are also on the Česen.

Nanga Parbat Update

The sister of Mariano Galvan, who disappeared with Alberto Zerain in Nanga Parbat Mazeno ridge, Marisol Galván  is trying to get in contact with three spanish climbers that are currently preparing for GI-GII traverse and that offered their help in the search of Mariano and Alberto before. If anyone can let them know, it would be appreciated.

A Normal Year

I often use this team to describe a season even when there’s bad weather, stalled rope fixing, discord amongst teams, etc. That is what climbing has become these days.

Poor weather and snow conditions thwarted most summit in the Karakorum the last two years, but it is way too early to be sending out dire predictions. Remember, most K2 summits occur in late July and early August – weeks away at this point.

This year, 2017, teams seemed to have arrived quite early so they will need to show extreme patience to wait out storms and the ropes before heading higher.

Best of luck to all.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything