K2 2017 Season Coverage: Broad Peak Summits!!

In spite of changing weather forecast, Furtenbach Adventures and Kari Kobler put climbers on the summit! On K2, Sherpas got ropes near Camp 4.

Broad Peak Summits

Lucas Furtenbach posted on their summtis:

SUMMIT!!!

Glad to report that our team made the first Broad peak summits this year. After a start at 7pm at C3 yesterday they were breaking trail to the saddle in 1 meter deep snow. The sherpas made an unbelievable job and worked really really hard. From the saddle to summit our lead guide Rupert took the lead and fixed the rope to the summit. An other group followed our team on the ridge. This morning Rupert, 3 Sherpas and 3 members stood on top of Broad Peak 60 years after first ascent from Austria Herman Buhl. Perfect conditions and no wind. Of course weather reports have said that there is wind today:-)

One member made his summit on the foresummit and one at the saddle. Now all on the way back to C3 and Basecamp.

Congratulations to all!

Now its time to go home for one part of the team and to head on to K2 for the other.

Reports from the mountain suggest another 10 people remain looking at the next window. Now that the big teams have summited and will leave or move to K2, it usually leaves a few independents try to figure out how to go without the big groups.

As noted in Lucas’s report to reach the true summit is difficult. To climb the ridge in what appears to be deep snow – it’s a quarter mile cornice where people have fallen or descended into China in whiteouts and died – is dangerous. Some will get to the start of it and call it their summit. In any event they have some tough decisions ahead.

Òscar Cadiach who gave up his attempt over the weekend due to poor snow conditions is reported to try again:

In the base camp there is also an expedition of Americans that just arrived this week and that could be added to the attempt.Cadiach says that the route is “more or less safe on the hill,” as has been demonstrated today, and that in the next few days they will pull up again.

One climber who was both independent and with a commercial team was Grace McDonald on Broad Peak with Furtenbach Adventures. She tried for the summit with the team but was still tired after her acclimatization rotations the previous day. 24 hours is not nearly enough time to recover so she showed great courage in giving it a try. She is now off to K2. She posted on Instagram:

I last posted we were done with Broad Peak. For days we’d been told members must leave on the 10th and we were going to K2. All planning had circled around these members. It came as a surprise to most of the team when with 3 hours notice we were told those members could stay and surprise, they were going for the summit – now. It was like we were on different teams. It’s been an odd situation here. Lucky me had just finished two laps up and down from Camp 2 in 3 days when this dropped. Could I go up again? The next day? To the freakin’ summit?!

Some members with more rest declined. I figured I could go for one more lap up to C3 MAYBE? I did it but people who had seen me up and down the mountain expressed pity for my legs and laughed at how often they had seen me up and down. I made C3 and made a futile attempt to go higher. About 300m out of C3 my legs finally gave and I returned to Base. Turns out you need some rest before you go for a summit. A few of those with rest reached the top today. Perfect weather. We will party tonight.

Other teams have asked me to join them in a couple of days but I think recovery time is due. Time to let the legs get ready for K2.

K2 Ropes reach C4 on Abruzzi

Mingma G.  noted progress on the Abruzzi:

 I am back to Base camp opening route to 7500m yesterday and on rest now because of my toe which almost got frostbite at Nanga Parbat. I started getting blisters on it again so I returned back for some recovery. Today my team made great effort and left rope nearby camp 4 as they got lost in clouds, too much wind and importantly not enough rope too.

We will wait for next weather window to make further progress. We are done with acclimatization. Only my Singaporean friend with Kami is staying one more night at camp 2, remaining all are back to Base Camp now.

Again, no news from Česen with Russell Brice.

New Search for Alberto Zerain and Mariano Galvan on Nanga Parbat

In spite of Alex Găvan, saying the new search is “irresponsible and only endanger more people’s lives” the Pakistani mountaineering company Karakorum Expeditions announced a new search the Tribune.com reported:

“The team will search on the Mazeno Ridge of the Nanga Parbat, where the missing climbers are believed to be buried under an avalanche,” company spokesperson Mehboob Ali said.

Alex Găvan had posted a complete detailed report on his search that concluded the climbers were killed by an avalanche. Their tracks were found to end at the avalanche fracture line, the same spot of the last transmission of their GPS device.

This video tells the sad story well:

Published by RaceTraker: From the different videos and images that Alex Gavan has sent, taken from the helicopter, which has overflew the area where the Racetracker marked the last signs of Alberto Zeraín, there has been a real reconstruction of the route of the avalanche.

Again, my condolences to their families.

Congratulations to all on their summits and best of luck to those climbing today.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything