Bad weather is damping activity in Pakistan, but for some, it’s the worst case with limited access to the Internet! Climbing team updates are sparse. Most are doing the time-honored Base Camp Wait, while others demonstrate the classic “summit fever” mistake by going on their summit push in marginal weather.
As each day passes, teams get more anxious that K2 will reject any climbers trying to summit. As usual, the weather is the culprit. This is not unusual, as experienced K2 aspirants know. If they make it, count their fortunes.
K2 has always been tough, which is one reason so few have traditionally attempted it. From 1986 to 2020, there were 13 years with no summits. 2012, 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2021 each saw about 30 – 62 people summiting before 2022, came in with over 200 summits smashing all the records. Last year was a bit calmer, with around 112 summits.
The key to the growth in recent years is Nepali guide companies are using the same formula they have used to commercialize all the 8000-meter mountains: overpowering Sherpa support to fix the routes, generous levels of supplemental oxygen, massive Sherpa support for each climber–sometimes as much as three to one–and luxurious base camps for well-heeled clients. No, this is not your father’s K2.
K2
Garrett Maddison is running several climbs this summer–an unclimbed peak, Broad Peak, and K2—and tells me, “Greetings from K2 base camp! We’re getting ready to begin our summit rotation soon. There is not much WiFi this season, even with Thuraya modems.” Note that this has been an issue all season and is unrelated to the July 19 CloudStrike outage.
French alpinist, Benjamin Védrines, gave a nice update on his K2 plans:
Doubts are in my head, I feel I have less and less chances to at least try a record on the K2. Weather in Karakoram is really bad this summer, locals said it’s been a while the weather hasn’t been so unstable with snowfalls and a lot of wind in altitude. Time is flying…more than one month we left from France. Everyday we postpone departures to go up in the mountain to finish this acclimatization. Yesterday again, we had to turn back at the camp 2 because of bad weather. That’s the game of 8000m peaks…
It’s important to accept doubt and accept maybe I’ll never try this record. I can anticipate the failure but I can also be optimistic and have some hope. It’s a way to be aware with what is happening, to be patient in a better way. All those reflexions make me think differently. Now, more options are possible. Record is more and more complicated to setup. In my head, the idea to climb K2 in 2 days came up. Why in 2 days? Snow conditions are bad, tracks won’t probably not be made by commercials agencies and I’ll have to do by myself. I won’t be able to do in one day for sure…It can be also a record in 2 days with conditions more delicates!
Anyway, I will adapt to conditions. I don’t want to have regrets and I will try something if K2 mountain makes it possible. That’s the key word of alpinism: adaptability. This is what I like; this last minute improvisation. It’s quite magical, we don’t know what is going to happen. Adventure is happening on the last moment and this is something so strong for me. You have to rebuild continuously basis of something you don’t even imagine at the begining of the adventure. This is always moments full of adrenaline and suspens.
One of the teams noted an avalanche near K2 Base Camp that ended harmlessly.
And the Other 8000ers
While K2 gets disproportionate attention, the other four deserve equal coverage. The Nepali outfit Seven Summits Treks, aka SST, has commercialized all fourteen of the 8000ers and usually does the route finding and rope fixing.
Gasherbrum I/II
A small Summit Karakorum team is planning a July 20th GII summit. Łukasz Supergan gave this update:
What’s the worst thing about an expedition to the high mountains? For me, it’s usually the waiting. Six days ago we were at Camp 1 at almost 6000 metres. Since then, clouds and snow have covered the entire Baltoro region. The weather forecasts kept telling us that the bad weather would pass in a while, but none of them came true. All the teams are waiting in base camp for a chance to go out. Every night we plan our exit and the snowfall always prevents us from going. We spent the whole week waiting – I didn’t feel such frustration even when looking for a way through the icefall. Tonight again several teams are planning to go to C1. Whether this will work out – we will find out again at the last minute.
If the weather cooperates, we would like to reach Camp 3 at 7000 metres this week. Keep your fingers crossed!
Broad Peak
Word has it that a large group of nearly thirty climbers will try to get to BP’s summit on July 20th.
Nanga Parbat
Nanga saw four summits with a 1:1 ratio of support for their two Pakistani clients climbing via Nanga Parbat’s Diamir Face.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
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