K2 2019 Summer Season Coverage – Too Few Porters, Too Much Snow

Baltaro Glacier

The 2019 Karakorum season seems to be getting off on the wrong boot. For over week now we keep hearing about poor weather on K2, now it’s the same story on Broad Peak.

Kobler and Parter reports in with their 17 person team:

At the moment the weather is not too favourable to go to the mountain which has given us time to make our base camp almost as chique as the cafe in Islamabad!

Once again Mike Horn chimes in from K2:

Bad weather still hampering our progress but we went for a hike up K2 to keep the legs moving!

And Furtenbach Adventures joins the choir:

Most of the team is now in Broad Peak basecamp (pictures). Pretty quiet and quite pretty. Many teams are delayed by snow and porter problems. Lots of snow this season. Weather cleared up yesterday but the massive snowpack on the steep slopes on Broad Peak puts everything on hold. Also no progress on K2 yet. Our double expedition Flash team members are on the way, K2 Flash member will helicopter in-in July only.

Yes, it’s still early but every day not able to fix ropes or acclimatize brings winter closer.

Shortage of Porters

One Pakistan Expeditor operator told me that there is a serious shortage of porters to haul gear up the Baltoro to the base camps of K2, Broad Peak and the Gasherbrum’s:

Everyone just jumped in without knowing others date of arrival and how many arriving on same date. In Askoli the quantity is 500 including animals and demand is 1000 or more within one week. Also inexperience tour operators with cheap packages are another reason. Everyone one has problems this year shortage of porters animals and new snow. Animals cannot walk on snow

Let’s hope all this gets resolved so the climbing can begin … when the weather allows.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

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One thought on “K2 2019 Summer Season Coverage – Too Few Porters, Too Much Snow

  1. Certainly not a good start and the weather is ominous in Karakorum both in east and west.

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