Mountaineering is full of triumph and tragedy. Losing a spouse on a mountain is horrific. There are doubts about how they died, if it could have been prevented, whether enough was done to save them, and the ultimate question, what to do with the body if anything. Now we have a specific request from a K2 widow for climbers this year.
In 1998, before my first 8000-meter climb, Cho Oyu, after my wife and I signed the “body disposal form,” we sat quietly. We were offered three choices: leave on the mountain, return to Kathmandu or return home. We chose to leave my body on the mountain if I died. Obviously, I did not, but I did help bury a teammate that year on Cho Oyu.
In February 2021, tragedy struck K2 with the deaths of three highly experienced climbers, Pakistani Ali Sadpara, Icelander John Snorri, and Chilean Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto. On July 26, 2021, Sherpas from Madison Mountaineering, Masherbrum Expeditions treks, and Tours 300 meters found them below the bottleneck 300-meters above C4.
The three had left C4 on February 5, 2021, along with Ali’s son Sajid Sadpara. Sajid’s oxygen regulator had a problem, and his father sent him back to C4 to wait for them. They never returned. Sajid tried to search and call out to them with no results. Eventually, he returned to Base Camp. Airplanes using advanced infrared technology searched the area where the climbers went missing again with no positive results.
With his father’s body located, Sajid Sadpara climbed to where they lay on the high, snowy slopes trying to understand what happened. Much has been written about the potential causes, some seem plausible, others feel speculative. I’ll not participate in this part of the story.
Ali’s body was taken lower, near Camp 4, for a respectful burial, and Juan Pablo’s was covered where he passed away. They left John alone per the wishes of his family. (edited for clarity)
Now with a record number of people on K2, there is potential for people to be unaware of John’s family wishes and, worse, take photos posted on social media to … well, I don’t know why any would do that.
Here is John’s widow, Lina Moey, request to all the climbers on K2 this year.
The Podcast on alanarnette.com
You can listen to #everest2022 podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.
Why this coverage?
I like to use these weekend updates to remind my readers that I’m just one guy who loves climbing. With 35 serious climbing expeditions, including four Everest trips under my belt and a summit in 2011, I use my site to share those experiences, demystify Everest each year and bring awareness to Alzheimer’s Disease. My mom, Ida Arnette, died from this disease in 2009, as have four of my aunts. It was a heartbreaking experience that I never want anyone to go through, so I ask for donations to non-profits where 100% goes to them and nothing ever to me.
Summit Coach
If you dream of climbing mountains but are unsure how to start or reach your next level, from a Colorado 14er to Rainier, Everest, or even K2, we can help. Summit Coach is a consulting service that helps aspiring climbers worldwide achieve their goals through a personalized set of consulting services based on Alan Arnette’s 25 years of high-altitude mountain experience, including summits of Everest, K2, and Manaslu, and 30 years as a business executive.
2 thoughts on “K2 Summer 2022: A Request from a K2 Widow”
Very sincere & honest request from the Family which needs to be Respected by All..
In caving there have been times where entire caves are closed (sometimes for a period, a couple forever) because the route is blocked. I know these two aren’t equatable. But if there was a day a body was cut down without family knowledge, that was a very dark day.
Comments are closed.