Ryan Kushner (not young Ryan on K2) on Broad Peak stopped his climb due to high winds. He said the same thing happened on K2, stopping the rope fixing between Camps 2 and 3. Ryan reported:<\/p>\n
\nAborted my rotation due to 2\u2014extreme wind. Apparently, the forecast was supposed to be good. I went up early yesterday; it was overcast with light snow. When we reached camp one, the winds worsened along with the snow. Conditions above 3 were already bad; winds 50+ mph easily. I aborted and came down this morning. Running out of time. Need to start hiking out on the 31st, and I haven’t even been to camp three yet. Rope fixers on K2 tried to go above Camp 2 to fix, but got stopped by the same bad weather we faced yesterday. Still, no one has been above Camp Two on K2.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n
\nTeams are finally progressing across the four northernmost 8000-meter peaks: K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II. Multiple teams report reaching as high as Camp 3 on these peaks, thus setting an optimistic tone for summits this season.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\nAlthough rockfall remains a clear and present danger, leaders feel more comfortable after recent snowfalls. However, climbers still need to be thoughtful and cautious about avalanche danger, as shown by the rescue of a stranded and injured Polish climber. Today, I discussed the conditions with Garrett Madison, the founder of Madison Mountaineering, who has a team on K2 for a summit but also on a mountain trash clean-up mission.<\/div>\nK2 – Climbing and Collecting Trash<\/h2>\n
Nepali operators Seven Summits Treks<\/a>, Elete Expeditions, <\/a>and 8K Expeditions<\/a> are climbing K2 again this year. Multiple Pakistani guides, including Summit Karakorum,<\/a>\u00a0Karakorum Expeditions<\/a> and Masherbrum Expeditions<\/a>, are also involved. Madison Mountaineering<\/a> and Mountain Professionals may be the only Western teams there, but information is hard to come by. Most K2 summits occur at the end of July.<\/p>\n
Masherbrum Expeditions<\/a> noted the ropes, “Madison K2 Expedition team is fixing ropes from Camp-II to Camp-III today.”<\/p>\n
Karakorum Expeditions<\/a> also updated: “John Dover, Arshad Karim, Doulat Muhammad and Imtiaz Sadpara are at Camp 2; they went directly from ABC to Camp 2.”<\/p>\n
Popular US climber Ryan Mitchell<\/strong> is at K2 Base Camp, reporting that all is well, albeit a bit worried about the climbing conditions. Terray Sylvester<\/a> is leading the Madison Mountaineering<\/a> trip and checked in with this dispatch from the Karakoram:<\/p>\n
\nHello again from K2<\/a> Advanced Base Camp (5303m\/17,400ft)! This morning, we cleaned up 62kg\/140lbs of trash from here at ABC and the base of the Abruzzi Spur, where debris that falls from Camps 1 (6065m\/19,900ft) and 2 (6700m\/21,980ft) often lands. As with our previous high-elevation cleanups, we picked up old tents, clothing items, food packaging, pieces of oxygen systems, and many cooking gas canisters. We were also surprised to find a GoPro 10. This was our third cleanup session, and our staff and climbers did a great job. We\u2019ve now picked up 207kg \/ 456lbs of waste from here at K2<\/a> (8611m\/28,251ft). We\u2019re planning at least one more cleanup push before we launch our summit bids on K2<\/a> and Broad Peak<\/a> (8051m\/26,414ft). We\u2019ll be in touch tomorrow!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Mingma David Sherpa<\/a> provided this update, which is consistent with all the others:<\/p>\n
\nQuick update from K2 \u2014 I\u2019ve reached Camp 1 today, leading the way up. The mountain is dry this season with frequent rockfalls, making the route even more challenging.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Summit Karakorum<\/a> gave this update on K2 and Broad Peak:<\/p>\n
\nOur 8K Broad Peak & K2 teams await the perfect weather window to push higher. Currently, our K2 team has reached near C2 and is descending to Base Camp. \u00a0Meanwhile, our Broad Peak team was forced to retreat from C1 to Base Camp due to harsh weather conditions and high winds.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Popular US climber Ryan Mitchell<\/strong> is at K2 Base Camp, reporting that all is well, save for the lack of snow. They attempted a peak near K2 base camp, turning around at 20,400 feet, thus eliminating at least one rotation on K2. It appears their next push will be for the summit. \u00a0He sent me this update today:<\/p>\n
\nI wanted to go up for a small rotation at least, but I guess MM wants to spend the least amount of time as possible on the mountain<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Ryan, a Summit Coach<\/a> client, gained considerable recognition thanks to his impressive video documentation of his 2024 summit of Mt. Everest, which he completed with Madison Mountaineering<\/a>, and is now attempting K2. I did a Podcast<\/a> with him before he left home. You can follow him on his social media:<\/p>\n
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- Ryan Mitchell YouTube<\/a><\/li>\n
- RyanMitchellUnfiltered <\/a><\/li>\n
- Instagram<\/a><\/li>\n
- Website<\/a><\/li>\n
- GPS Tracker<\/a> (name shown as Ryan Moore)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And the Other 8000ers<\/h2>\n
While K2 gets disproportionate attention, the other four deserve equal coverage. The Nepali outfit Seven Summits Treks<\/a>, aka SST, has commercialized all fourteen of the 8000ers and usually does the route finding and rope fixing. This season, at least on K2, all the teams are participating in the rope fixing given the dangers.<\/p>\n
Gasherbrum I\/II – Ropes to C2<\/h3>\n
\n8kexpeditions<\/a> reported:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\nThis season, the Karakoram Range has presented challenging conditions with unpredictable weather, dry terrain, and increased rockfall risks impacting ascents on K2 and Broad Peak. Despite the obstacles, our Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I & II teams have successfully completed their climbing rotations and are now fully prepared for the summit push, once a clear weather window arrives.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\nKarakorum Expeditions<\/a> also updated: “In a remarkable display of skill and endurance, our Karakoram expedition team has successfully fixed ropes from Advanced Base Camp (ABC) to Camp 2 on Broad Peak in one go! Stefano and Akber are at camp 1.”<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBroad Peak – Climbing, Ropes to Shoulder<\/h3>\n
Masherbrum Expeditions<\/a> noted the ropes, “Alpinist Broad Peak Expedition fixed ropes from camp II to the Shoulder, and everyone is waiting at the base camp for the summit push soon.”<\/p>\n