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Avalanche perhaps stops summits on K2 and the Karakorum – Updated

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Jul 232016
 
Avalanche perhaps stops summits on K2 and the Karakorum - Updated

Update 26 July : Gasherbrum II summits. Heavy weather moving. Team down climbing now.  Update 25 July : Nanga Summit. GII attempt underway. Broad Peak over.  K2 BC emptying. Independents give up also – no K2 summits for 2nd year in row due to weather and snow conditions. A large avalanche reported on 23 July, 2016 on K2 has destroyed tents, buried fixed ropes and swept way the cache of food and oxygen bottles at Camp 3.  There were no injuries or fatalities reported. While not 100% certain, it appears for the second year in a row no one will make the top. While most climbers on the large continue reading

High Winds Stop Summits Push on K2; Broad Peak Summit

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Jul 132016
 
High Winds Stop Summits Push on K2; Broad Peak Summit

Teams knew this was a risky chess move to try and summit K2 during a narrow weather window, and they lost this bet. July 14th was predicted to have acceptable winds on the summit of K2 but as is normal in the Karakoram and especially K2, the weather changed dramatically causing everyone to quickly descend back to base camp. So the good news is those climbers have spent quite a few nights at Camps 1, 2 and 3 thusly improved their acclimatization. The bad news is they also spent a lot of energy and for some teams, supplemental oxygen, so far. Over on Broad Peak, most reports have climbers making the same quick descent to continue reading

Summits Pushes Begin on K2 and the Karakorum

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Jul 102016
 
Summits Pushes Begin on K2 and the Karakorum

After a normal short period of high winds and heavy snow in the Karakorum, the weather forecast calls for acceptable conditions this week thus teams are moving up their mountains towards the summit today. And, to be sure, it will be crowded on K2 with 60 climbers reported to be going for the summit on July 14th. The crowds are not from the climbers themselves but more from the support staff provided by some of the commercial expeditions or heavily staffed private efforts. One individual climber on a single permit has 5 Sherpas for support. This is a list of the Karakorum 2016 Expeditions permits issued for all the Karakoram mountains continue reading

K2 and Karakorum Mid-Season Update

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Jul 062016
 
K2 and Karakorum Mid-Season Update

Climbing teams are scattered all across the Karakoram this early July seeking to summit the five 8000ers located in Pakistan. Most are progressing well with several nights already spent at the lower to mid level camps around 7, 000 meters as they acclimatize to the higher altitudes. A few climbers, five reported thus far, have abandoned their climbs due to injury and other issues. The week starting with the 4th of July saw the weather turn a bit ugly with heavy snow reported at multiple base camps thus teams are locked down for a few days – all quite normal in July in the Karakoram. continue reading

Why K2 Will Never Become Everest

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Jun 122016
 
Why K2 Will Never Become Everest

Update 25 July 2016 :no K2 summits in 2016 due to weather and snow conditions. With 112 permits issued for K2 the summer of 2016, the press will soon go wild with articles saying “K2 is the New Everest.” Never mind the fact that in the year ever, K2 saw about 50 summits and in a “normal” year, Everest will greet over 500 on the summit. With my 2014 summit of K2 and 36th major expeditions including four on Everest and two on Lhotse, my honest assessment is that K2 is not Everest. As anyone who has read my blog for the continue reading