K2 2017 Season Coverage: Summit Plans

A plan has been hatched to attempt the K2 summit this season. Climbers were beginning to worry if 2017 will be a redux of 2015 and 2016 on K2. The weather seems to have stalled leaving base camp covered in a soupy mix of cloud, rain, hot, and cold. As Russell Brice says, four seasons each day.

Gasherbrum Retreat

Alberto Iñurrategi, Juan Vallejo and Mikel Zabalza, are reported to have turned back on their latest attempt to traverse from GII to GI. They have experienced deep snow but this time it was high winds. Their sponsor posted:

The ridge was too risky due to the intense wind. They are going down now. More news in the following hours. They are ok.

K2 Doldrums and Summit Plans!

Russell Brice’s post today said it all. They are stuck in a weather pattern with the only choice to wait, but time is now running out:

There is nothing to report, we still sit at BC waiting for the correct weather to arrive. It is bleak and quite frustrating to have clear patches at times, but only to see that it is still blowing at altitude. But what is encouraging we can see that it is not snowing up high on the mountain. This means that we might be able to more early without too much avalanche danger.

Chris Bailey, also on K2 but with Furtenbach Adventures, posted they are now being entertained by fake news, including the death of an entire team!:

Base Camp is a weird place; all the teams (including ours) are hearing wonderful rumours about themselves from back home. Everything from fights, to infidelity, Sherpa strikes, evacuations, avalanches destroying the mountains… one team even heard they were dead (quite a shock to them). Pretty much all I’ve heard are complete lies, half-truths or exaggerations but it does make for great entertainment! Today is 6 weeks since we’ve started, time flies when you’re having fun!

But in a note of optimism, Adam Parore, with the Himex team, said they leave for the summit on 24 July:

Confirmation this morning we will leave BC for the summit on the 24th. We will spend a day at C2, potentially 2 days at C3, depending on how quickly and easily the route to C4 is fixed. Above C3 we will be on O’s with a day at C4 to rest before we leave for the summit at somewhere around midnight on the 27th. All things being equal July 28th will be our summit day. The weather appears to be playing ball at this stage- I can feel the change, we have a different pressure system on us now. Russ is relaxed and confident- the excitement is building.???? I’m trying to be cool, there is almost a sense of disbelief that this is really going to happen. Familiar territory for me.

So, the plan is to leave base camp on the assumption the forecast is accurate and the winds will drop as they reach Camp 4.  They are on the Česen route. Over on the Abruzzi, Mingma G says they are ready for their summit push as well.

Broad Peak Summit Plans

Over on Broad Peak, they are also making sumit plans based on the same forecast. Tunc Findik posted:

Continuing waiting for the good weather condition, they expect the summit attempt in 2 days according to the weather condition.

Oscar Cadiach is with him hoping to finish his 14th 8000er with a summit of Broad Peak.

Let’s hope the weather forecast is correct.

Climb On!

Alan

Memories are Everything

 

 

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4 thoughts on “K2 2017 Season Coverage: Summit Plans

  1. Adam Parore, the former New Zealand wicket keeper, is climbing with Himex? I believe he is still the only international cricketer to summit Everest. He would certainly be the first one to climb K2. He must be very popular. They love cricket in Pakistan.

    (Sorry, Alan – I forgot. Cricket is that game we play that’s a bit like baseball but lasts for five days and involves more eccentric clothing) 😉

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