Several teams banded together to summit K2 on the morning of July 28, 2024, while on the other side of the mountain, two Japanese climbers apparently died in a fall. There were also many summits on nearby Broad Peak. Of note this season was the large number of Pakistanis who summited or served as High-Altitude Workers (HAW) for the commercial teams.
Most teams noted the number of clients with support who summited while others did not. I’ll try to update this post when we get more information.
K2: ~50+ summits
While we are unsure of the exact number of permits issued for K2 this season (The Pakistan government does not issue reports as the Nepal Ministry of Tourism does), media reports had 175 permits for K2, so with around 50 summits (could be a bit more), that’s a 28% summit rate, a bit low, even for K2.
The weather played havoc with all the teams this season, but a few were patient and made the top this morning. Those who summited noted low winds but deep snow. It took tight coordination amongst all the remaining teams to summit. Dawa Sherpa of Seven Summits Treks generously noted all involved without taking credit for his contribution:
- The Italian team expertly fixed ropes from Base Camp to Camp 1
- Seven Summit Treks took on the challenge from Camp 1 to 150m below Camp 3
- Imagine Nepal skillfully continued from 150m below Camp 3 and managed to fix the ropes up to Camp 3
- Seven Summit Treks fixed the ropes from Camp 3 to the lower Camp 4.
- Madison, 8K, Imagine Nepal, Glacier Himalayan, and Seven Summit Treks combined their efforts to get from lower Camp 4 to the Bottleneck.
- From the Bottleneck to the summit, a mixed team led by Mingtemba Sherpa from Seven Summit Treks took charge.
- A special thanks to Sirbaz Khan’s team, who assisted in fixing and ensuring the safety and success of this climb.
Here’s what we know of who summited:
- 8K Expeditions/Summit Karakorum: 3 clients and 6 Sherpas
- Glacier Himalaya: 4 clients with 4 Sherpas
- Imagine Nepal: 8 clients and 9 Sherpas
- Madison Mountaineering: unspecified summiteers but at least 2 Sherpas
- Seven Summits Treks: unspecified summiteers but included Japanese Naoko Watanabe with a female record of 3 K2 summits
On the Cesen route, Jean Yves Fredriksen apparently summited, climbing alone to C3, where it joins the Abbruzzi route. He didn’t use Os.
Deaths on K2
Japanese climbers Kazuya Hiraide, 45, and Kenro Nakajima, 39, apparently fell down K2’s West Face around 7,500 meters. They were on their fourth day of climbing. The Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that a rescue helicopter discovered their motionless bodies. Also, helicopter rescue was deemed impossible as helicopters flying from Skardu could not land or hover at such an altitude.
The Japanese alpinists were alone and not on a commercial team climbing in “alpine style,” implying no supplemental oxygen, porters, or fixed camps or ropes. These were world-class climbers who were awarded the Piolet d’Or. The West Face had only been climbed once by a Russian expedition in 2007.
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: ~8+ summits
- Seven Summits Treks: 5 clients with 3 Sherpas
Gasherbrum II: 37+ summits
- 14 Peaks: 8 clients with 6 Sherpas
- Seven Summits Treks: 1 client with 1 Sherpa on July 23
- Seven Summits Treks: 1 client with 2 Sherpas on July 22
- Seven Summits Treks: 6 clients with 5 Sherpas on July 21
- Summit Karakorun: 2 climbers
Broad Peak: ~20 summits
- Broadboy Adventures: 1 client with 3 Pakistanis HAW
- Karakorum Expeditions: 5 Pakistani HAWs fixed the rope to the summit, and then four clients
- Imagine Nepal: Pasang Namgel Sherpa, who finished all fourteen 8000ers
- Madison Mountaineering: 1 client with two Sherpas,
- Mashabrum Expeditions: 1 client with two Sherpas
- Summit Karakoram: 1 Sherpa
- Summit Travel: unknown number of clients and guides
Nanga Parbat: ~ 4 Summits
- Seven Summits Treks: 4 Sherpas fixed rope to the summit on July 9
- Seven Summits Treks: five clients with 4 Sherpas on July 10
Vadim Druelle set a speed record of 15 hrs and 18 minutes from the base camp.
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
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2 thoughts on “K2 2024 Coverage: Summits and Deaths”
Where’s the photo at the top taken from? (I ask because I read and watch all the things so that I can feel like I’m in a place I will never ever get to go)
I took this in 2014 on my summit of the traverse while descending.