As per the forecast, high winds kept teams quiet on K2 this week but have now let up and they are planning aggressively to push for the summit. Both K2 teams are scattered over the lower camps. Over on the other 8000er being attempted this winter, Nanga Parbat, the climbers have left for the summit push.
K2 Big Picture
First, remember that many in the climbing world feel the end of February is the end of winter so our climbers are motivated to attempt the summit in the next 6 days – a hard but not impossible feat.
The Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan team have climbed as high as the top of the Black Pyramid – around 7,300-meters/24,000-feet. They have established C1, and C2 with tents and some supplies as well as a fixed rope (that may now be buried) on the Abruzzi route. Next up is to establish their Camps 3 and 4 at 7,300-meters/24,00-feet and 7,800-meters/25,500-feet with food, fuel, stoves, medical oxygen, ropes, and personal gear. The Spanish/Galician team has not climbed above C1 soothes have more work to do. Their strategy seems to be one of swift climbing with less acclimatization – a risky approach – but they have five or more Sherpas who might be able to make this strategy happen.
Even though the huge winds have calmed a bit, the weather forecast over the next seven days stills calls for summit winds as high as 70 kph/45 mph with still air temps at -40C/-40F making wind chills as low as -65C/-85F. The lowest winds are forecasts for the night of Thursday, February 28.
K2: Climbing!
K2: Spanish/Galician Team – Climbing
The K2 team lead by Alex Txikon sent Felix Criado, Ignacio de Zuloaga and the doctor Josep Sanchis to Advanced Base Camp.
A nice video showing the conditions at K2 Base Cmap the past few days:
You can follow their movements on Alex’s GPS tracker, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
K2: Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team – Up t0 C2
The Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan team is divided into two groups so be careful not to confuse their two groups with the two teams on K2 of Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team and the Spanish/Galician Team. In any event the so-called “International team” is headed back up now that the winds have calmed:
22.02 5000 weather is normal, the wind is not strong. This afternoon the whole team of the two groups goes up. The first group (Pivtsov, Aubakirov, Danichkin, Abildaev Brown) plans for output up to ABC, C1, C2, C3 and then the weather. The second group (Ants, Shepelin, Gabbassov, Smailov, Temirbaev) will act according to circumstances.
A video they posted climbing to C1 on 21 February
You can follow them on Instagram but Facebook and their site are the best sources.
Winter Nanga Parbat – Summit Push!!!
Daniele Nardi, and British Thomas Ballard have left their Base Camp for the summit on the Mummery’s Spur.
The Long-awaited window of good weather came on time and this morning daniele and Tom left loads of energy and confidence to reach, as planned, c1. but once they arrived on the spot they decided not to stop their race! And so, given the excellent weather conditions and the strong grit that never abandoned them, not even in these last days of forced rest at base camp, they pushed up to c2. we await updates!
You can follow them on their sponsors site, Montane.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything