K2 2019 Summer Season Coverage – Successful Summits!

Against many unfavorable conditions, Nirmal Purja‘s Project Possible team plus two Sherpas from Seven Summits treks successfully summited K2 at local time 7:50 am Wednesday, July 24, 2019. Also Adrian Ballinger  and Carla Perez summited a few hours later at 11:45 am not using supplemental oxygen. Both climbers have now summited both Everest and K2 with no supplemental O’s. There were a few additional people to summit including one from Iran. Sorry no names available yet.

Dawa Sherpa posted this update:

A huge congratulations the Fixing team for their successful ascent of Mt. K2 (8611m). The team of Seven Summit Treks and “Project Possible – 14/7″.

  • Lakpa Dendi Sherpa (PP)
  • Lakpa Temba Sherpa (SST)
  • Nirmal Purja Purja Purja (PP)
  • Chhangba Sherpa (SST)
  • Gesman Tamang (PP)

No Os

Adrian Ballinger reports to me

We did it! Nirmal Purja team and our team made summit. Me and Carla no O’s. Also a very strong Iranian named Hussein summits today no O’s. I’m back in c4.

His team consisted of: Adrian Ballinger, Ecuadorians Carla PerezTopo Mena and Sherpas Pemba Gelje Sherpa and Namgye Sherpa

Project Possible

Probably the biggest storyline for this year, and in many years, is Nirmal Purja‘s effort to summit all 14 of the 8000-meter peaks in 7 months breaking the record of 7 years. With K2, he and his team of four Sherpas have summited 10: Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Lhotse, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and K2. Now he is on to Broad Peak before leaving Pakistan for the final climbs in Tibet and Nepal on Manaslu, Cho Oyu and Sishapangma – all of which are considered very achievable although reaching the true summit of Shish is a serious and very dangerous climb.

His team consisted of: Nirmal Purja‘s and four Sherpas: Lakpadendi Sherpa, Gesman Tamang, Changba Sherpa and Lakpa Temba Sherpa

More Summits Planned for July 25

Dawa Sherpa posted that 19 additional SST claimers will go for the summit on Thursday May 25::

 

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18 thoughts on “K2 2019 Summer Season Coverage – Successful Summits!

  1. So happy for Adrian. He’s a decent person and he has always pushed for his goals.

    Congrats to everyone!

  2. Agree with most of what everyone is saying here but please, people act like if you use O2 and sherpa support that climbing any of these mountains is still easy, which is 10000% not the case.

  3. Update about the Hungarians Szilard and David – Szilard summited but David had stomach problems and decided on the 24th to descent back to BC.

    1. Szilard Suhajda is the first Hungarian to do so. On the other hand is his 3rd attempt on the mountain and had climbed Broad Peak too. He had also attempts on Hidden Peak and Evrest. All without 02.

      1. Exactly and they did it Alpine style. I feel sorry for David but he said he was proud of his decision to stay back and to not risk the success of the entire expedition and he’s proud of Szilard for reaching summit. They are doing the Crown of the Himalayas challenge and will attempt to climb all 14 eight-thousanders without O2.

        1. Not to be too fastidious about words, but you can’t call it alpine by any stretch if you go after a team that fixes the ropes up to the summit. Climbing K2 without O2 is already a great personal feat for almost anybody. But too many mountaineers overstate at home claiming things like “alpine”, “no-support climbing” or something like that. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have your personal sherpa, if you join a group and wait for others to fix the ropes for you up to the summit, then it is no alpine style at all.

          1. You are right. Anyway its almost impossible nowadays to climb aby of the 8000s in alpine style on their normal ways regarding new and old fixed ropes, sometimes ladders etc. If they do not use HAPS and move on their own at the mountain using fixed ropes if they are its a tougher challenge than the guided ones, even not an alpine style ascent of course.

  4. Regarding teams who left already my (novice) understanding of K2 is that most summits occur at the very end of July or even very early August. I’m a little surprised teams didn’t rest at base camp a few days to wait things out given it’s only July 24th and there’s still time to summit. I can appreciate these are big teams with expenses but still. Congrats to all who submitted and good luck to those still on their way.

  5. Can you provide some commentary on nims project? It’s no 02 and mostly standard routes but seems amazing. Would be interested to hear from a serious mountaineer how much of an achievement this is.

    1. What do you mean by no 02? Nirmal Purja Purja Purja are using 02 but it is still an amzing achievement!

      1. Typo meant to say it’s 02 and standard routes. Obviously it’s amazing achievement, but would be interesting to get commentary from Alan or other serious mountaineer how much of a feat this is for people like me who’ve never climbed a mountain, but find the whole thing very interesting.

        1. The current record timespan (First to last) for climbing all 14 8000’ers is 7 years – Nirmal Purja Purja Purja team are attempting to do it in 7 months through amazing talent, fitness, planning and bravery (and a bit of luck undoubtably). What they are doing is incredible

          1. Isn’t the current record no Os and without support? Nirmal Purja is using Os and has like 3 or 4 sherpas. Two different ballgames. Still impressive though.

    2. Jason, regardless of style (supplemental oxygen, Sherpa support, standard routes, helicopters between mountains, etc.) what he is doing is extremely impressive.

      For the record, South Korean Kim Chang-ho climbed all 14 between 2005 and 2013. He certainly had a unique style such as taking 60 days to reach the Mount Everest base camp using “kayak, bicycle and foot” rather than flying to Lukla.

      For me one key attribute of an elite athlete is recovery time. Nirmal Purja just summited K2 and did Broad Peak 2 days later. That’s beyond impressive, and it’s not the first time he had a short turn-around time. His previous Nepal climbs were back to back as well. So he is in incredible physical and mental shape. Similar to the Tour de France where cyclists compete at elite levels daily for 23 consecutive days with only 2 rest days.

      Also he helped in several rescues showing his humanity and not just obsessed with summits.

      Climbing the 8000ers are hard, even though he make it look easy. There are perhaps other people i.e. Sherpas who could it but the logistics and costs are difficult. Nirmal Purja has a team helping on this so this goes to his organizational skills. Plus he has a positive message attached to his project.

      So, even with the nits around style, overall he is setting marker that may take decades, if ever, to surpass.

      IMHO

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