{"id":38406,"date":"2021-02-07T15:39:49","date_gmt":"2021-02-07T22:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=38406"},"modified":"2021-02-08T10:44:47","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T17:44:47","slug":"winter-k2-update-summit-push-update-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/07\/winter-k2-update-summit-push-update-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter K2 Update: Summit Push Update #8"},"content":{"rendered":"

Latest as of 3.30 am, Monday, February 8, 2021, – K2 Time: John Snorri, Ali Sadpara, and\u00a0Juan Pablo (JP) Mohr Prieto remain missing with no trace.<\/p>\n

\"Sajid
Sajid Ali Sadpara<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We are learning more about what happened at the Bottleneck directly from Ali’s son, Sajid. Of note he said he and his father were climbing without supplemental oxygen but had a bottle in their pack for emergencies. Also when he left the three, they had no radio or sat phone. He felt they summited and had an accident on the descent in the Bottleneck, but he is not sure.<\/p>\n

There is no official communication from Snorri or Ali or JP’s home teams to the public.<\/p>\n

Sajid Ali Sadpara made this statement from Skardu where he was flown by an army helicopter. He went up with the helicopter to approximately 7800 meters but found not signs of the missing climbers: (thanks to Desnivel<\/a>\u00a0for the translation)<\/p>\n

Pakistani\u00a0Ali Madad (*), who lives in Tenerife, has translated the statements of Sajid Ali upon his arrival in Skardu:<\/strong>\u00abWe started the ascent at 11 or 12 at night. As we ascended, we passed the groups of the Sherpa expedition descending. At about 8,200 meters, at the Bottleneck, I felt that I was not feeling well, I was lacking oxygen [up to that point Sajid and his father had ascended without using artificial oxygen]. My father told me to use the oxygen from the client [John Snorri] because there was enough.<\/p>\n

When I was putting the regulator on, the oxygen started to leak because it didn’t fit well. As I was not feeling well, my father told me to go down, while they continued up. At 12 o’clock I began to descend towards Camp 3, which I arrived at at 5 in the afternoon. I spoke to the base camp and explained that my teammates were trying to reach the top and that the next day we would descend together. They did not carry a satellite phone or walkie talkie.<\/p>\n

I made tea and hot water and then left a light on so they could find the store. I was all night without sleep, waiting for them.In the morning I called base camp to say that no one had arrived and the leader told me that, please, I had to go down because the weather was going to get worse, I was tired and it could be worse for me. He told me that he was going to send a rescue group from base camp.He told me that he was going to send a rescue group from base camp.He told me that he was going to send a rescue group from base camp.<\/p>\n

I think they reached the summit.\u00a0They must have had the accident on the descent because at night it started to get very windy.\u00a0They have been eight thousand meters for two days, at that height in winter I have no hope that they are alive.\u00a0There are very few.<\/p>\n

If possible, I would greatly appreciate doing another search to find my father’s body.<\/p>\n

Sajid Ali ends by thanking everyone: the families of Juan Pablo and Jon, the Pakistani army, the Sherpa expedition, the other mountaineers, the media\u2026.<\/p>\n

(*)\u00a0Pakistani Ali Madad, who has translated Sajid’s words, is a native of the Hunza Valley.\u00a0For 7 years he has lived in Tenerife with his wife, Sonia Fari\u00f1a, whom he met in Pakistan, and his daughter Naia.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Dawa<\/a> of SST gave this update on today’s helicopter search:<\/p>\n

… second flight in the afternoon by 2 Army helicopters (along with Sajid and I) made a search (with an aerial reconnaissance) for an hour up to its maximum limit: 7800m to locate missing climbers Ali, John Snorri, and Juan Pablo Mohr in K2. We went through the Abruzzi and other routes, we had less weather visibility\u00a0above C 4, unfortunately, no trace at all.\u00a0The wind above 6400m is still 40KM.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Apparently they look at both routes, Abruzzi and \u010cesen, because they could have come down the\u00a0\u010cesen.<\/p>\n

This is the video, of Skardu TV:\u00a0

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2,531 views<\/div>
Sajid Ali Sadpara interview on the K2 missing climbers courtesy of Skardu TV.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\tSajid Ali Sadpara interview on the K2 missing climbers courtesy of Skardu TV.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/p>\n

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He posted several pictures taken from the helicopter. Click the link<\/a> to view them all.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo of the Ice Serac and Bottleneck are on K2 taken from Pakistani military helocpterr on February 7 2021 during unsuccessful search for missing climbers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Background<\/h3>\n

There is no 100% confirmed<\/strong> news if they summited, their current status or plans. The three: John Snorri, Ali Sadpara, and\u00a0Juan Pablo (JP) Mohr Prieto, are the only climbers on K2 this Sunday. JP was climbing without supplemental oxygen.<\/p>\n

They left Camp 3 for their summit push around 23:00 on Thursday, February 4, 2021. They were last seen over a day ago. Now, It’s 3 am Sunday morning, February 7, 2021. Computer generated weather forecast continue to call for extremely cold have the summit temps at -42F\/-41C with a wind chill at -80F\/-62C.<\/p>\n

The three along with Ali’s 22-year-old son, Sajid Ali Sadpara left Camp 3 around 23:00 Thursday night. They planned on moving fast, hoping to summit around \u00a014:00 on Friday, just before the next wave of high winds were expected to hit the summit. They reached the Bottleneck when Sajid had a problem with his oxygen regulator and had to return to Camp 3. He returned alone, while the three men, presumably, continued higher. This was the last repot of their status, now close to two days ago. Sajid waited at Camp 3 for over a\u00a0day. He did a short search but with no O’s and not acclimatized without it, it was very dangerous. He found no trace or saw headlamps on his sortie.<\/p>\n

The only K2 summits thus far in the winter of 2020\/21 was by the team of nine Sherpas and one Majar on January 16, 2021. Nirmal Purja Magar summited without supplemental oxygen accompanied by his nine teammates. They held hands and stood on the summit together singing the Nepali National anthem.<\/p>\n

There have been two deaths on K2 this season, Spanish mountaineer Sergi Mingote who fell between Camp 1 and ABC then Bulgarian climber Atanas Skatov who fell just below Camp 3. Another climber, Russian\/American Alex Goldfarb perished while acclimatizing for Broad Peak on nearby Pastori Peak.<\/p>\n

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\"K2
K2 Routes: Abruzzi and \u010cesen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Timeline<\/h3>\n