Teams are arriving at K2 Base Camp, but communications are limited, so not much information is coming out. We know that conditions are harsh, with high temperatures and low snow in the lower mountains. Given the absence of snow, climbers are concerned about rockfall this year.
K2
Nepali operators Seven Summits Treks, Elete Expeditions, and 8K Expeditions are climbing K2 again this year. Multiple Pakistani guides, including Summit Karakorum, are also involved. Madison Mountaineering may be the only Western team there, but information is hard to come by. Most K2 summits occur at the end of July.
Remember that communications in Pakistan are drastically different from those in Nepal. Cell phone signals are unreliable, so many teams bring expensive satellite connection devices, even though they can sometimes be wonky. Also, since the Northern Territories are adjacent to the disputed area of Kashmir between India and Pakistan, the military will sometimes limit communications. The bottom line is that we cannot expect the same type of coverage we can for the Nepal mountains.
Popular US climber Ryan Mitchell is at K2 Base Camp, reporting that all is well save for the lack of snow. They will rest for a few days before their first rotation. Terray Sylvester is leading the trip as Garrett Madison opted to stay home after a blazing one-week summit climb on Denali. Ryan, a Summit Coach client, gained considerable recognition thanks to his impressive video documentation of his 2024 summit of Mt. Everest, which he completed with Madison Mountaineering, and is now attempting K2. I did a Podcast with him before he left home.
You can follow him on his social media:
And the Other 8000ers
While K2 gets disproportionate attention, the other four deserve equal coverage. The Nepali outfit Seven Summits Treks, aka SST, has commercialized all fourteen of the 8000ers and usually does the route finding and rope fixing.
Nanga Parbat – Summits
Nanga is more southern than Pakistan’s four other 8000ers. It’s in the Himalaya Range, whereas the other Pakistani giants lie in the Karakoram Range. NP usually sees the first summit each year. The mountain attracts serious professional climbers. Here are some of them:
- Denis Urubko and Maria Cardell, on the Diamir Face, are attempting to establish a new route.
- Pakistani Sa’ad Mohamed is climbing Nanga Parbat via the Kinshofer (standard) route on the Diamir Face without supplemental oxygen or high-altitude porters.
- Also with no O’s or porters is Romanian Horia Colibasanu.
Media reports from Pakistani Saad Mohammed said two Czech climbers had summited, but without names or details. Also, famous German Alpinist David Göttler was successful on his fifth attempt on the Rupla Face in Alpine Style, summiting along with Boris Langenstein and Tiphaine Duperier.
Gasherbrum I/II – Quiet
No updates
Broad Peak – Dry
Karakorum Expeditions noted that their advance and rope-fixing team has arrived at Broad Peak Base Camp and has the ropes to Camp 2. My friend Ryan Kushner is climbing Broad this season, and his sister provided this update:
July 2nd update on Ryan and his Broad Peak team: They are currently at camp 1 and doing a 3 or 4 day rotation hoping to touch 23,000 feet (camp 3). Ryan wishes he could provide updates himself, but there is still no internet or cell service on Broad Peak so communication is limited to satellite phone texts.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
The Podcast on alanarnette.com
You can listen to my podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.
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