Category: K2 2022 Coverage

The rope team reached K2’s summit opening the door for the first team from Madison Mountaineering to summit supported by Mashabrum Expeditions for logistics. Over 100 others are in various high camps for their respective summit bids as of 4:00 am on Friday, July 22, 2022.

Big Picture – The Summit Push and A Death

It looks like the winds picked back up across the four 8000ers over the last 24 hours, but teams remained focused and summited GII, and K2. It will be a big next 24 to 48 hours across the 8000ers as the weather is predicted to ease. Look for multiple summits from many teams. We will see a record on K2, to be sure.

Jenn Drummond reported death but no names or details. There was a death near C3 of an Afghanistan climber with Mirza Ali team Karakorum expedition team, but Ali has not mentioned it in his communications.

Broad Peak saw more summits, including some mind-boggling fast times. The ropes are nearing the summit on K2, and progress continues on Gasherbrum II. The spike in the winds came and went, and conditions are good for now. Look for K2 summits anytime now, first by the rope team.

Big Picture – The Summit Push

So far, so good despite the rope teams on K2 fighting off the predicted spike in the winds. There are reports of over 100 people spread across the various camps on K2. Also, they are using the so-called “Japanese” camps, which are a bit lower than traditional camps. This is a low snow year on K2, and the rock fall has been significant, so teams are seeking safer locations for the high camps.

First, we had a surprise summit on Broad Peak today. Over on GII and K2, multiple teams have left base camp, targeting to summit in a few days. Overall, the weather forecast has improved, with the occasional wind spike in the forecast.

Mountaineering is full of triumph and tragedy. Losing a spouse on a mountain is horrific. There are doubts about how they died, if it could have been prevented, whether enough was done to save them, and the ultimate question, what to do with the body if anything. Now we have a specific request from a K2 Window for climbers this year.

After the drama this week, climbing will slow down a bit due to weather, but we have summits on Broad Peak and teams progressing on K2. First-hand details on the Broad Peak death are now available. Also, I break down who is climbing on K2.

Big Picture – Weather Incoming

First, the weather forecast looks poor for the big four of K2, BP, GI & GII, so it may be quiet for the next few days or up to a week. As we leave the first week of July, progress continues as expected. Teams, actually Sherpas, are fixing the lines on the 8000ers and establishing the high camps. Thus far, the most progress has been on Broad Peak with three summits and Nanga Parbat with at least 26.

There are teams on both Gasherbrum I & II, with Denis Urubko said to be going for the GII summit any day now. He has permits for all five of the 8000ers but is taking it peak by peak. On K2, Sherpas continue to fix the line with reports saying they have it Camp 3 above the Black Pyramid. Most K2 summits occur between July 25 and August 1, but Seven Summits Treks suggest they will summit the second week of July. Probably a bit optimistic given the weather.

With respect to so many climbers across all the Karakorum peaks this summer, teams are sharing tents. In other words, one team may take their tents, establish a high camp, and let other teams use that spot and gear. This is probably the only way to manage this season, but we’ll see what happens when a window opens and everyone wants to jump onto it.

The two Pakistani climbers who were thought to be stranded apparently turned out to be tired, caught by the weather, descended on their power to Nanga Parbat Camp 1, where they were “rescued” by the Pakistani military. A video showed them smiling, laughing, in good spirits, and apparently in good health, expressing their appreciation to all involved.

The two deaths are now confirmed and identified. Meanwhile, poor weather hampers the rescue of the two stranded climbers on Nanga Parbat.

Fazal Ali and Shehroze Kashif were last reported trying to descend from Camp 3 on NP, this is a dangerous section where rappelling is required. A helicopter left Skardu at 9:00 am Wednesday, July 6, but low clouds prevented the searchers from seeing the mountain, much less the climbers. They abandoned the search and will try tomorrow, hopefully, if the weather clears. This will make these second nights the two Pakistanis have spent exposed high on the peak. Everest Chronicle has a good video shot from inside the helicopter showing the obscured mountainside.