{"id":32043,"date":"2018-12-29T18:22:35","date_gmt":"2018-12-30T01:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=32043"},"modified":"2019-01-12T09:24:15","modified_gmt":"2019-01-12T16:24:15","slug":"2018-19-winter-k2-climbers-enroute-controversy-in-antarctic-colorado-perfect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/29\/2018-19-winter-k2-climbers-enroute-controversy-in-antarctic-colorado-perfect\/","title":{"rendered":"2018\/19 Winter K2: Climbers Enroute, Controversy in Antarctic, Colorado Perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"

The K2 teams are on their way to Pakistan for their winter attempts but not without problems already.<\/p>\n

K2: Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up is an international group, made up of\u00a0climbers from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan. They are already having financial issues according to the website\u00a0Russian Climb<\/a>\u00a0and reduced the team size from 11 to 7:<\/p>\n

Despite comprehensive efforts, the guys could not find money for all originally claimed eleven members. Therefore, the team will go to Karakorum in a reduced composition. There will be seven of them.<\/span>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Vassiliy Pivtsov<\/a> is still the expedition leader and Basil Pivtsov (Kazakhstan) is the head of the\u00a0expedition and the team captain.\u00a0Artem Brown (Russia) is \u00a0listed as the project organizer.<\/p>\n

The rest of the team now includes:\u00a0Abildayev Novel (Russia),\u00a0Roman Abildaev (Russia),\u00a0Michael Danichkin (Kyrgyzstan),\u00a0Mikhail Danichkin (Kyrgyzstan),\u00a0Tursunali Aubakirov (Kazakhstan),\u00a0Tursunov Aubakirov (Kazakhstan),\u00a0Dmitry Ants (Kazakhstan),\u00a0Dmitry Muraviov (Kazakhstan),\u00a0Konstantin Shepelin (Russia),\u00a0Konstantin Shepelin (Russia)<\/p>\n

It’s reported they climbed together above 7,000-meters for the\u00a0“Winter Snow leopard” program, and the team leader Vassily Pivtsov has climbed all 14 highest peaks of the world without the use of supplemental oxygen. They plan to arrive in\u00a0Islamabad\u00a0no later than January 1, 2019 <\/strong>and climb the traditional Abruzzi route.<\/p>\n

You can follow them on Instagram<\/a> but\u00a0Russian Climb<\/a>\u00a0is the best source.<\/p>\n

K2: Spanish\/Galician Team<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second team is lead by\u00a0Alex Txikon<\/a>\u00a0who has already arrived in Kathmandu according recent social media posts. There he is meeting with his Sherpa support team.<\/p>\n

He will be climbing with his long time friend and partner\u00a0Felix Criado from Galicia, Spain and now two additional teammates: \u00a0Polish climbers\u00a0Marek Klonowski and Pawe\u0142 Dunaj. They will have a strong team of eight Sherpas with them in support including\u00a0Nuri Sherpa, Chhepal Sherpa, Geljen Sherpa, Hallung Sherpa and Pasang Sherpa.<\/p>\n

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He has not announced what route they will use, Abruzzi or \u010cesen or even the East Face. \u00a0<\/strong>The pair\u00a0attempted K2 in 2013 but stopped just above Camp 2 at 6,900-meters.<\/p>\n

You can follow their movements\u00a0on Alex’s\u00a0GPS tracker<\/a>, \u00a0Twitter<\/a>, \u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Winter\u00a0Nanga Parbat<\/h3>\n

In a vague series of reports, Daniele Nardi with unnamed partners will attempt a new route on Nanga Parbat. We know have more clarity saying that Italian climber Daniele Nardi\u00a0and\u00a0British Thomas Ballard with their two Pakistani team members Rehmatullah Baig and Karim Hayat according to Pakistan Mountain News<\/a>. This will be his fifth attempt on NB.\u00a0Alex Txikon, Simone Moro and Ali Sadpara made the first winter summit on February 26, 2016.<\/p>\n

Their logistics organizer, Jasmin Tours<\/a>,reports:<\/p>\n

A 2 members team supported by 2 Pakistani high altitude climbers led by Daniele Nordi is in Islamabad to make another Winter attempt on Nanga Parbat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They are scheduled to be at base Camp on January 1. Nadri was quoted:<\/p>\n

\u201ca lot of people ask me about Nanga Parbat in winter, I am not going exactly for Nanga Parbat but to complete new route in winter along Mummery Spur in alpine style, so our first objective is to complete this route up to 7000 meters and after this climb to reach the top. In the past I tried to complete this route but I couldn\u2019t finish it, so this is the real enthusiasm to go there\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He also jumped in on the “When does winter end” debate saying “…\u00a0winter ends on 28th<\/sup> of February, March is not winter its spring, but I am not hardliner to discard accents made in mid of march or earlier, yes for the future it\u2019s good to consider some specific dates for winter.”<\/p>\n

NB 2017 Rescue Award<\/strong><\/p>\n

The American Alpine Club has said they will award Dennis Urubko, Adam Bielecki, Jaroslaw Botor and Piotrek Tomala the\u00a0David A. Sowles Award<\/b>, which recognizes \u201cunselfish devotion at personal risk or sacrifice of a major objective, in going to the assistance of fellow climbers imperiled in the mountains.\u201d The ceremony will be at their annual benefit dinner\u00a0on March 9 in San Francisco, California.<\/p>\n

In January 2018, the four climbers left their winter K2 attempt to save Elizabeth Revol on Nanga Parba. She was climbing with Tomek Mackiewicz, who died during the descent.<\/p>\n

Winter Manaslu<\/h3>\n

Simone Moro and\u00a0Pemba Gyalje Sherpa will be attempting Manaslu via the normal route in alpine style after acclimatizing on Mera Peak.<\/p>\n

Winter Alaska<\/h3>\n

American climber Lonnie Dupre, well known for his amazing attempts to summti Denali in true winter is back at it again with a winter attempt on nearby Mt. Hunter.<\/p>\n

An Antartica “Unassisted” Record?<\/h3>\n

With great fanfare, American Colin O\u2019Brady, finished his 54-day Antarctic traverse, solo, unassisted, and unsupported journey to the adulation of the adventure world. It was an amazing accomplishment for this 33 year-old who pulled a 136Kg\/300lb sledge from one coast to Antartica to the South Pole then to another costal point. The total journey was 1,487km\/923 miles. He beat fellow racer, British Army Captain Lou Rudd by 2 days.<\/p>\n

This was an amazing achievement worthy of all the press both adventurers are receiving but now there is a hitch.\u00a0Explorersweb is suggesting he was assisted given he traveled on the McMurdo-South Pole Highway, or the South Pole Overland Traverse Road (SPOT), a flattened trail groomed by tractors towing heavy sledges carrying personnel and supplies from McMurdo Station to the South Pole. Obviously traveling on groomed ice vs the uneven and often impossible sastrugi (wind built ice formations)\u00a0makes the entire journey much easier, and faster.<\/p>\n

They quote veteran polar guide Eric Philips “\u201cIt is a highway, [that] more than doubles someone\u2019s speed and negates the need for navigation. An expedition cannot be classed as unassisted if someone is skiing on a road.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The packed road from the South Pole through the Transantarctic Mountains to the Ross Ice Shelf and beyond to McMurdo Station. Photo: Eric Philips<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Explorersweb<\/a>, a keen follower of polar expeditions goes on to question if they really made traverse:<\/p>\n

Furthermore, both shortened their route significantly by calling a halt at the beginning of the Ross Ice Shelf: which their famous predecessors from the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration \u2014 and some strong modern travelers \u2014 did not. Borge Ousland\u2019s 1996-7 crossing of Antarctica is often called \u201cassisted\u201d because he used a kite part of the way. However, his route covered the entire Ross Ice Shelf and was 1,000km longer than theirs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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O\u2019Brady\u2019s and Rudd\u2019s route vs Ousland\u2019s. Some polar veterans doubt whether the truncated route qualifies as a full traverse.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

China Rules<\/h3>\n

Not fully sure what this means other than China closing an area “above Rongbuk Monastery” to visitors. This area usually includes Everest Base Camp. There are no indications this will impact the 2019 Everest climbing season but you never know with China. http:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/content\/1133077.shtml<\/a><\/p>\n

Honoring Miss Hawley<\/h3>\n

Billi Bierling<\/a><\/span><\/span> posted this on her Facebook:<\/p>\n

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“In memory of the late Elizabeth Hawley, the American Himalayan Foundation (https:\/\/www.himalayan-foundation.org<\/a>) is offering a scholarship for a Master’s Degree in Journalism to a keen Nepali female writer.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Please find the details below<\/p>\n

Scholarship Announcement
\nMiss Elizabeth Hawley Memorial Journalism Scholarship
\nHimalayan Trust announces The Elizabeth Hawley Memorial Master\u2019s in Journalism Scholarship 2019-20. Miss Hawley who was born in Chicago in 1923 first came to Nepal in 1959 and just never left. She first served as a journalist for Reuters, reporting on her first Mount Everest expedition in 1963. Elizabeth went on to run Sir Edmund Hillary\u2019s Himalayan Trust, was the New Zealand Honorary Consul to Nepal, and the keeper of the Himalayan Database. It was her role in the Himalayan Trust that bought Elizabeth into American Himalayan Foundation\u2019s (AHF) world and for over three decades she worked closely with AHF as a trusted partner, and dear friend.
\nCountry Representative of Himalayan Trust, Miss Hawley passed away on January 26, 2018 at the age of 94. In her honor, AHF has started the Elizabeth Hawley Memorial Master\u2019s in Journalism Scholarships (HJS) commencing in March 2019.
\nThe scholarship will be open to all Nepali women with a bachelor\u2019s degree and an existing body of journalistic work in Nepali and\/or English. The scholarship will be competitive, with only one offer each year for a two-year course and will cover the university cost of the master\u2019s degree program and the purchase of a laptop.
\nRequirements
\n\u2022 Applicant must be a Nepali citizen, resident in Nepal.
\n\u2022 Applicants must satisfy the admission criteria of the Tribhuvan University for a Master\u2019s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. These include having a bachelor\u2019s degree in the same subject.
\n\u2022 A one-page statement convincing the committee why the applicant should be selected.
\n\u2022 Further commitment to work as a journalist must be demonstrated.
\nApplication deadline: January 15, 2019
\nAn application letter with a statement of conviction and photograph, copies of published English articles, news or blogs, current CV with academic transcripts and supporting documents must be received by Himalayan Trust by email to info@himalayantrust.org.np or mailed to Post Box No. 224, Kathmandu, Nepal before January 15th, 2019.
\nOnly short-listed candidates with full documentation will be invited for an interview. The committee\u2019s decision will be final.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A Perfect Day on a Colorado 14er<\/h3>\n

Finally, just so you think all I do is report on what others do, I got out on Friday, December 28 to Colorado 14er Quandary Peak. It was a perfect day as I described on Facebook:<\/p>\n

A perfect winter day on Colorado\u2019s 14er Quandary Peak today.<\/p>\n

The sky was a perfect blue, the mountain side was covered with a perfect blanket of snow, only broken by an artistic rabbit seemingly focused on creating the next Bunnybrandt.<\/p>\n

The fresh snow seemed content to stay where it landed, a pine tree limb, a tree trunk, the top of a rock.<\/p>\n

But when the wind blew, all fell in line as if to acknowledge who was the true ruler of the mountains. And I must bow my head to this one!<\/p>\n

With the temperatures hovering around 0F, any exposed skin instantly complained. But nature has a way of putting us humans in our place.<\/p>\n

On the way down, I was greeted by the Quandary goats. They were warm in their deep, rich fur coats. The moms looked at me carefully as the kids literally jumped like kids in the snow. They made me smile.<\/p>\n

As I walked through the woods, past tree line towards the summit, and then back down, the stillness of this cold winter day brought me a deep sense of contentment and peace.<\/p>\n

A perfect winter day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And a few pictures:<\/p>\n