2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Final Winter Summit Pushes, Surprise New Team
The two expeditions left on the 8000ers this winter, both on Everest, are starting their final pushes. One is already in the midst. The wildcard, as always, will be the weather and this week’s forecast has a few short windows, but nothing ideal, especially in winter. Wind chills are consistently forecasted around -50F/C, the limit for most climbers. Everest Jost on West Ridge – Nearing the West Ridge, Time running out German alpinist, Jost Kobuschh’s is at his high point for this expedition, 7,329-meters/23,750-feet at his C2 according to his tracker. But the last reported location was Saturday, February 22, at 6:16 pm and as of this post, its currently Sunday, February 23 at 2:30 am. He told reporters he will end his effort by February 29. In review, he is attempting a winter, solo Everest climb without supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support. This exact style and the route have never been attempted or accomplished. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. He had this update Tuesday, February 21, 2020, on Facebook: Scanned the mountain and alternative routes through a large zoom objective a few days ago and found that my plan C has more optical illusions than good climbing passages. With light snowfall I am now in camp one and will make my last and final attempt on the heavily icy route I explored last time in a 17-hour push. Txikon on Southeast Ridge – Final Push Tomorrow Alex Txikon and team will leave base camp Monday or Tuesday for their final summit attempt targeting February 28 for the summit. They developed a new line 400-meters/1,312-feet to the climber’s left of the normal line on the Lhotse Face to minimize rockfall. Again, this rockfall and running water do not bode well for the upcoming spring season. Angela Benavides, Press Manager, sent out this release that read in part: “The plan now is to follow this line all the way to the South Col, about 1500 meters above,” Alex said. “The route is in Good conditions, but there’s no way to set a proper Camp 3 on the way; the most we could try is to pitch one tent, if we manage to cut a ledge big enough on the ice.” Monday, the team reached the highest point so far. “I stopped at 6,900m, according to my InReach device, but Nurbu kept going for 200 meters up a 55º steep ramp, thus reaching approximately 7,000m.,” Alex said. The climber estimates that, with the latest fixing works, the South Col could be reached in two days. It will be on the next push up from BC, where the climbers returned for some rest and further planification. After pondering their options and studying weather forecasts, Alex Txikon is determined to try one more time. “There’s no surrender. If the weather gives us a chance, we’re going to fight for this,” he ensured. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter: No surrender!! If the weather give us a chance, we’re gonna fight for this! We’re ready to go, just studying the best strategy according to weather conditions. Thanks to ace Karl Gabl of Innsbruck we have the best possible forecasts, based on constantly changing models. New Media Team Explorer’s Web is reporting a new surprise team. Masters of public relations, Seven Summits Treks CEO Tashi Lakpa Sherpa is hopping on the media coverage of Jost and Alex. ExWeb reports: Tomorrow, a helicopter or two will approach Base Camp with Seven Summit Treks CEO Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, together with Pasang Nurbu Sherpa, Mingtemba Sherpa and Halung Dorchi Sherpa. The last three will hurry up to the Khumbu Icefall, with a tight schedule to fulfill: Feb 24: Kathmandu to Everest Base camp by helicopter. Feb 25: BC to C2 Feb 26: C2 to C3 Feb 27: C3 to C4 Feb 28: C4 reserve day Feb 29: Summit and back to C2 March 1: C2 to BC and chopper back to KTM. The expedition will do its media blitz tomorrow in Kathmandu, just before flying to Base Camp, so there are not many details yet. But if successful, the team would achieve the fastest climb of Everest in winter, ever. Batura Sar This team, prepping for K2 next winter is having a difficult time: Partially destroyed Camp I and the buried route to Camp II – are the result of a weather crisis lasting over a week under Batura Sar. On Tuesday, February 18th, after an over a week break, Wojciech Flaczyński, Mariusz Hatala and Kacper Kłoda went up. They reached the CI after about 9 hours of paving in deep snow. One of the tents was completely destroyed, the other was saved, despite the thick layer of snow covering it. After a night at 5100 m. a.s.l., the team headed towards CII. Unfortunately, deep snow, high avalanche danger and visibility limited to several meters forced climbers to retreat to the Base Camp. “We were aware of the weather collapse had wreaked havoc up and temporarily stop our activities, but we did not expect such heavy snowfall. In addition, the action is hampered by dangerous avalanche conditions.” says expedition leader Piotr Tomala. “Over the next few days we will work on restoring the way to Camp II. Then we can plan further action, “he adds. Winter 2019/20 Everest – EBC – Stalled Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – at EBC K2 – Over, No Summit Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak – Over, No Summit Denis Urubko – Over Batura Sar – fighting Snow Ama Dablam – Multiple Winter Summits Gasherbrum I/II – Over, No Summit Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger – Over Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Only Two Left
Only two teams are left on the 8000ers this winter, both on Everest and both are struggling. Both suggest one more attempt to get as high as possible before ending their efforts. While the temps have been cold and the winds high, there is running water at Everest Base Camp, a warning sign for the spring season. Denis Urbuko ended his winter Broad Peak effort and his 8000er career. Everest Jost on West Ridge – Potentially nearing the End German alpinist Jost Kobuschh’s last trip from EBC to his C1 was disappointing and he feels he may be near the end of this ambitious effort. He told reporters he will end his effort by February 29. In review, he is attempting a winter, solo Everest climb without supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support. This exact style has never been attempted or accomplished. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. He had this update Tuesday, February 21, 2020, on Facebook: Scanned the mountain and alternative routes through a large zoom objective a few days ago and found that my plan C has more optical illusions than good climbing passages. With light snowfall I am now in camp one and will make my last and final attempt on the heavily icy route I explored last time in a 17-hour pus Txikon on Southeast Ridge – 5 Days at C2 Alex Txikon and team spent 5 days at C2, fighting high winds. They made some progress up the Lhotse Face but were stopped by wind and more critically, rockfall and returned to EBC. They suggest one more attempt in a few days. Of serious concern is that Txikon commented that there was running water from the Khumbu Glacier in Base Camp, and this is in February when everything should be frozen. This does not bode well for the upcoming spring climbing season. We can anticipate significant rockfall in addition to avalanche danger. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook: Conditions were extremely tough and we had been up there for five days already. We’ll tell you more as soon as we’ve got some rest. And previously on Feb 17: Today we’re staying put in C2, battling the wind, but we’ve got food for days and a solar panel. We’ll go for the Lhotse Wall tomorrow. Should we reach the Yellow Bands (7600m), we would be ready for a summit push in the following days. There’s only 4 of us but we’re strong and determined. Batura Sar This team, prepping for K2 next winter is having a difficult time: Partially destroyed Camp I and the buried route to Camp II – are the result of a weather crisis lasting over a week under Batura Sar. On Tuesday, February 18th, after an over a week break, Wojciech Flaczyński, Mariusz Hatala and Kacper Kłoda went up. They reached the CI after about 9 hours of paving in deep snow. One of the tents was completely destroyed, the other was saved, despite the thick layer of snow covering it. After a night at 5100 m. a.s.l., the team headed towards CII. Unfortunately, deep snow, high avalanche danger and visibility limited to several meters forced climbers to retreat to the Base Camp. “We were aware of the weather collapse had wreaked havoc up and temporarily stop our activities, but we did not expect such heavy snowfall. In addition, the action is hampered by dangerous avalanche conditions.” says expedition leader Piotr Tomala. “Over the next few days we will work on restoring the way to Camp II. Then we can plan further action, “he adds. Denis Urubko Ends 8000er Career, “Enough” Denis Urubko ended his Broad Peak summit bid due to avalanches with a post that said “Enough” but he meant more than just BP. He confirmed his intent signaled before going to BP that this would be his last 8000er. He is a legend in high-altitude climbing. During his career, he had 19 summits of the 8000ers and became the 8th person to climb all 14 without supplemental oxygen. In recent years, he participated in multiple rescues of fellow climbers, saving several lives. Winter 2019/20 Everest – EBC – Stalled Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – at EBC K2 – Over, No Summit Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak – Over, No Summit Denis Urubko – Over Batura Sar – fighting Snow Ama Dablam – Multiple Winter Summits Gasherbrum I/II – Over, No Summit Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger – Over Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Urubko Ends Broad Peak Summit Push
Denis Urbuko ended his winter Broad Peak effort after reaching 7000m, getting hit by an avalanche. Spaniard Oscar Cardo on Alex Txikon’s team evacuated from Everest C2 with some form of AMS. Controversy over the early termination of the K2 expedition. Broad Peak – Over – Hit by Avalanche Denis Urubko ended his summit bid citing several issues. His message to his partner Maria Cardell: I am in BC, no summit but survived despite some incidents Wind was 70-80 km at the top. An avalanche slide me for 100 m, then I fall down with a broken fixed rope for 50 m. not into a crevase fortunately. I fought despite everything. Is enough! He was attempting to summit in what he views as true winter, before the end of February. He was alone after his teammates Don Bowie and Lotta Hintsa left due to Bowie’s illness. Everest Jost on West Ridge – Exploring Alternatives. Over by Feb 29. German alpinist Jost Kobusch, has told reporters he will end his effort by February 29. He continues to explore an alternative route to gain the West Ridge proper. In review, he plans on a winter, solo Everest climb without supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support. This exact style has never been attempted or accomplished. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. He had this update Tuesday, February 11, 2020, on Facebook: After 17.23 hours I arrived back in my tent in camp one ere yesterday morning – exploring a route option in the west shoulder. The result: yes, it is possible, but sexy is something else … There was a lot of hard blue ice, in a terrain where every mistake is fatal. There must be a better option – but to see Everest from up there is very moving and motivating! This massive stone pyramid – it almost didn’t look like from this world! My fat burning works 1a top class! I only drank out of my Camelbag during the whole load and didn’t eat anything for 14 hours and was able to perform on the mountain, However yesterday morning while I melted some snow, I had a microsleep … I managed to fill the water into a bottle before the lights went out – apropos lights: my headlamp died ere yesterday, although fully charged. Then I went down with cell phone light. Alpinism is improvisation Txikon on Southeast Ridge – Member Evac’d from C2 With an improved forecast Alex Txikon and team are back up to the mid camp, C2, fighting high winds. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter around 7 pm Monday night February 17, 2020: Today we’re staying put in C2, battling the wind, but we’ve got food for days and a solar pannel. We’ll go for the Lhotse Wall tomorrow. Should we reach the Yellow Bands (7600m), we would be ready for a summit push in the following days. There’s only 4 of us but we’re strong and determined. His home team issued a statement from Alex about the evacuation of teammate Spaniard Oscar Cardo. Now only Alex and three Sherpas remain. The mountain will have the last word If I am not wrong, today is Sunday, Feb16. We’ve been working really hard for the last three days. On Feb14 we set off and fixed again the route through the Khumbu Icefall, in a 9 hour-long, tough but rewarding working day. Back in BC, we only had a few hours of rest before leaving again at 2.15am on Feb15. Pechhumbe, Geljen Lama, Nurbu, Oscar and I departed towards camp 2 in a beautiful, starred night. We managed a brisk pace despite feeling rather sleepy, slightly nervous and definitely overloaded with gear in our backpacks. The waning moon cast a magical light upon the Khumbu valley; I couldn’t stop taking pictures everywhere, feeling privileged to be there.Here is the recount of that day and night: At passing by Camp 1 we take some more supplies to carry up. Oscar marches full-throttle, smiling and powerful: he’s a very strong guy. However, barely 1 km before reaching Camp 2, his pace changes radically. He stops coordinating, starts feeling bad, in pain… I realize he is surely suffering from AMS, possibly HACE. We must make decisions: you’re always telling yourself to be tough and brave, to go down by your own means no matter how bad you feel. But the fact is, tackling the Icefall in his state could be lethal. I check with Sergio and Diego in BC and share thoughts: I cannot imagine Oscar rappelling down among seracs and crevasses right then. We place our bets on waiting and calling for a chopper rescue on the following morning, trusting Oscar will be strong enough as to endure the night. The other option is getting him in a hazardous terrain, risking an open-air bivouac in the dead of winter. It’s too risky. So, we wait. And we are so worried. I start repeating myself: “please, oh please, let it by just a scare, please, just a bloody scare…” I am carrying my backpack and his… Then I remember that song called “espadrille’s soles” (about those fleeing Spain through the mountains after the Civil War)… Sure, the situation is totally different, those times were really had and surrendering meant death – and , after all, we’re here because we want to… But it helps anyway, to keep me motivated and struggling to get to the tents. Once finally there, I call Dr. Antonio Cid in Spain, a friend of Oscar’s, who reports detailed instructions for me to treat Oscar. Luckily, at a certain moment his strong body starts reacting. Oscar is a professional firefighter, and that counts! He’s performed great through all the stages of the expedition, giving it all, but these things happen and, when they happen at altitude, they’re always serious. At times, Oscar forgets what’s going on with him, he is confused. I barely sleep, I just watch him and get increasingly worried… It’s psychologically very hard, but somehow we
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Urubko Launch Broad Peak Summit Push tomorrow
Broad Peak weather forecast changed so Urbuko will leave for the summit Sunday, February 16 aiming to top out on the 17th. He’s alone with no comms so we won’t have any updates until mid-week. Txikon moved to C2 on Everest while Jost seems to be exploring options for the West Ridge. Broad Peak – Targeting February 17 Denis Urubko is working the schedule around the weather. Txikon’s home team including Pintér László and Mozgasvilag gave this update: Denis sent an SMS to Pipi Cardell a few minutes ago: “16feb BC-C3, 17feb try summit 🙂 Than BC and expedition finished” This means that after a lot of discussion about forecasts he wants to try the window on 17th, which looks to be clear, but windy (70-80 kph). He is not going to take communication source with him, so there will be no word from him until he gets down. This way he spares weight and can fully concentrate on the task. This is how he did it last time on Gasherbrum II last summer opening a new route. Weather discussion: the window that seemed to open from 20-22nd Feb changed significantly. Our friend from the Hungarian Met Office Tamás Allaga informed us that 19th-21st is still more favourable in terms of wind (40-60 kph – that is a small increase to previous), but clouds and percipitation has changed in the wrong direction. 20th and may be the night of 19th looks stable, then it can start to snow, and wind starts to pick up again. So even if the amount of snow does not look too much, visibility could be a problem because of the clouds. The course of the cyclone that has an affect on the second window, has changed significantly to the previous forecasts, and can still change further. So he had to decide whether he wanted to climb in clear weather with strong wind (17th) or climb with much less wind but possibly deteriorating conditions (21st). Denis said he can manage winds up to 70 kph. Now all we can do is cheer him on and cross our fingers for him. Text: Pintér László/Mozgásvilág Fotó: Denis Urubko Everest Jost on West Ridge – Blown Back to EBC C1 German alpinist Jost Kobusch, returned to his Camp 1 at 6010 m | 19,717 ft on February 14 but is now back to base camp. It appeared from his tracker that he explored an alternative route to gain the West Ridge proper. Or he might have been avoiding the strong winds over the last few days. In review, he plans on a winter, solo Everest climb without supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support. This exact style has never been attempted or accomplished. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. He had this update Tuesday, February 11, 2020, on Facebook: Actually, I wanted to start from camp one and head towards camp two. It’s already much warmer than a month ago, but still quite windy – it already cracked my tent again 😂, Yesterday morning the wind was so strong that it bent the tent down to 30cm and I had a liter of water in my sleeping bag 😅 . Then, nevertheless, have packed and have gone. But I didn’t get very far – I had to bow to the wind and turning around was the only sensible thing to do – I almost flew away while walking! Just as the base camp came into my field of vision, a lot of clouds came up and a lot of sand was swirling in the air – let’s see how it develops. Maybe I’ll go as high as I can without a lot of luggage and check the route again 🤔 . PS: In camp one the tent could not be repaired – too cold for the glue Txikon on Southeast Ridge – At C2 With an improved forecast Alex Txikon and team are back up to the mid camps – C2 planing on C3 tomorrow. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter climbing team resting in C2. Tomorrow, weather permit ng, they will try to continue towards Camp 3. His team includes Spaniard Oscar Cardo, and Nepalese Sherpas Chhiji Nurbu Sherpa, Pechhumbe Sherpa, and Tenjen Sherpa. You can follow him on his tracker. Batura Sar – Stalled by Snow In preparing for a 2020/21 K2 winter attempt, Piotr Tomala,Rafał Fronia, Wojciech Flaczyński, Filip Babicz, Mariusz Hatala, Kacper Kłoda, Marco Schwidergall and Oswald Rodrigo are attempting the first winter at Batura Sar, an impressive 7,795 meter peak, located in the western Karakoram Pakistan. The latest from their site: From Monday, February 10 in the Base (altitude 4100 meters above sea level), about a meter of snow fell, stopping the expedition. On Thursday in BC, the wind sometimes reached 60 kilometers per hour. Visibility is limited to several meters. “That is why there was no way up this week. We are waiting for the weather to stabilize, and only then will we assess the avalanche conditions and when we can resume the campaign, “says expedition manager Piotr Tomala. “Our next task will be re-paving the road to CI, checking the condition of the former handrail ropes and equipment left in the Camps” – he adds. Winter 2019/20 Everest Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – At EBC K2 Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak Denis Urubko – Base Camp Batura Sar Ama Dablam Zoltán Szlankó, Alex Goldfarb – Summitted Gasherbrum I/II – Over Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger – Over Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs:What Went Wrong on K2?
I was quite surprised when I read the news from John Snorri that their winter K2 attempt had come to a sudden halt and all members had flown back to Askole. I’ve known the expedition leader, Mingma Gyalje Sherpa‘s and his Imagine Nepal guide company for years and highly respect his skills and leadership ability. The big picture is the expedition was delayed arriving at K2 Base Caamp by deep snow on the Baltoro glacier. The extreme cold temps below -30C/-22F took a toll on humans, supplies, and gear. They lacked K2 Winter experience to fully understand the challenge as they felt comfortable with their Nepal winter summits as a base. Again, cold and wind stopped their efforts at C1 and they feared frostbite. Finally, one of the Sherpas was hit by falling ice and fell into a crevasse, necessitating a helicopter evacuation. And, if all that was not enough, Mingma got pneumonia. All in all, it was a tough experience. A short intro about Mingma, he is an IFMGA/UIAGM certified Mountain Guide who started his mountaineering career in 2006 with his first attempt on Mt. Manaslu. Over the past 14 years, MIngma has summited: Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I –I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum-II. Only Sishapangma remains for him to claim all 14 of the 8000ers. He has many other first and solo climbs and ranks as one of the top Sherpa climbers. We summited K2 in the same year, 2014, and I was supposed to join him on Annapurna a few years ago but the trip didn’t happen for me. I reached out to him a few days after the news broke on what happened. I asked if it was gear, mental, physical, team dynamics? Or just the severe mountain conditions? His reply then, “On many things.” They had established their Camp 2 at the base of House’s Chimney at 6,600 meters, the lowest altitude reached by any of the eight winter attempts since the first in 1987/8. The team included: Mingma Gyalje Sherpa (Nepal) Tamting Sherpa (Nepal) Pasang Namgel Sherpa (Nepal) Kili Pempa Sherpa (Nepal) John Snorri Sigurionsson (Iceland) Gao Li (China) Tomaz Rotar (Slovenia) Snorri posted on February 5, 2020: Summiting K2 in winter is a formidable task that necessitates all team members being fully prepared, both mentally and physically, to face the challenge. Team members Mingma G of Nepal and Ga Li of China have both expressed that they don’t feel fully prepared to make the scheduled attempt of personal reason. Taking this into consideration and after much deliberation, it has been decided that the mission will not go forward. We thank you for your support throughout the months of preparation and will keep you posted on our future endeavors. MIngma sent me this candid report along with a few pictures today, February 14, 2020: K2 wants to wait……. Comparatively we had better weather than last year and our progress on mountain was digestible. We stared late so we had to face deep snow on all the way to K2 base camp and starting late was first mistake. Its 7 days trek including one day drive to Askoli but we took 11 days in this winter to reach K2 base camp. All we 4 Nepalese had done winter 8000ers expeditions in Nepal and we felt like we were experienced enough to go for K2 in winter. But the winter environment on K2 is completely different from Nepal. Our camp was completely on snow and we had nights with less than -30deg in base camp and it was extremely cold in above camps. Our tent used to get all icy inside from our breathing and the ice dropped from there wet our clothes inside the tent.We had worked hard in such cold situation. If we washed our clothes then it takes more than a week to get it dry unless we dry them on gas heater or stove. Most of us used to hang our clothes inside the kitchen tent and they used to get dry easily but they absorb smell of kerosene from the stove and it stinks while wearing. Almost all our food were frozen in base camp. In all we had very hard life during our trekking and climbing. I realized we should have taken one Sherpa from previous winter K2 team so that we could prepare more.This was our another mistake which is clear. We arrived base camp on 22nd January and on 24th we tried to fix line up to advance camp and little above. Having rest on 25th, we fixed the line to camp1 on 26th January and Gao Li, Sirbaz and myself stayed there for fixing route above camp1 but it was very windy next morning and the temperature was below -40,-50deg. We had wind whole the night and the sound from the wind and tent didn’t let us sleep well so we decided to descend down to base camp and wait for better days. We would be stupid climbers if we continued in such cold temperature as we could lose our hand and legs to frostbite. On 29thJanuary, our 3 Sherpa, Tomaz and John moved to camp1 for fixing the lines to camp2. The Sherpa team fixed 500m above camp1 and then they descend back to base camp and the duo Tomaz and John decided to take a lead another day and they fixed more than 200m on 31st January and our route to camp2 was almost clear in just 4 days work. Then all returned back to base camp by 31st January and we had to wait for few more days as the weather was showing very high wind even at 6000m By then the news of corona Virus in China was spread worldwide and that put our team member Gao Li and myself into worrying situation. We had taken 30GB data internet package ofThuraya but our internet worked only for one day. So we were out of internet connection. Having no connection with so many friends and relatives in China,
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Fighting the Weather
Jost was blown back to EBC after a tough night on the Lho La. Urbuko wants to get Broad Peak in February to meet his definition of winter and now is targeting February 20/21. Porters have been pushed back to February 22. Everest Txikon on Southeast Ridge – Headed Higher With an improved forecast Alex Txikon and team are headed back up to the mid camps in the Western Cwm after big winds destroyed some of their tents at base camp. I assume they will see similar damage at the previously established high camps. High winds have stopped Txikon on his previous winter attempts. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter Up we go – in two stages. First we’ll check conditions on the Icefall on the way to C1 and back tomorrow. All going well, we’ll then climb all the way to Camp 2 on Saturday. His team includes Spaniard Oscar Cardo, and Nepalese Sherpas Chhiji Nurbu Sherpa, Pechhumbe Sherpa, and Tenjen Sherpa. You can follow him on his tracker. Jost on West Ridge – Blown Back to EBC C1 German alpinist Jost Kobusch, returned to his Camp 1 at 5933 m | 19465 ft but the big winds made for a tough night and now he is back at base camp. His ambitious plans may be running out of time and energy. In review, he plans on a winter, solo Everest climb without supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support. This exact style has never been attempted or accomplished. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. He has this update Tuesday, February 11, 2020, on Facebook: Actually, I wanted to start from camp one and head towards camp two. It’s already much warmer than a month ago, but still quite windy – it already cracked my tent again 😂, Yesterday morning the wind was so strong that it bent the tent down to 30cm and I had a liter of water in my sleeping bag 😅 . Then, nevertheless, have packed and have gone. But I didn’t get very far – I had to bow to the wind and turning around was the only sensible thing to do – I almost flew away while walking! Just as the base camp came into my field of vision, a lot of clouds came up and a lot of sand was swirling in the air – let’s see how it develops. Maybe I’ll go as high as I can without a lot of luggage and check the route again 🤔 . PS: In camp one the tent could not be repaired – too cold for the glue Broad Peak – Targeting February 20-21 Denis Urubko is working the scheule around the weather. Txikon’s home team including Pintér László gave this update: Our friend from the Hungarian Weather Service Tamás Allaga is constantly monitoring the weather situation for Broad Peak. We pass the latest forecasts to Denis via Pipi Cardell. It looks like an even better summit window is developing between 20-22nd Feb which made Denis to change his plans. While 17th still has winds up to 50/60 km/h, in the later window winds could drop down to 20-40 km/h at 8000 metres, with low chance of precipitation, but bitter cold (-35 Celsius). He rearranged his porters to come later, on 22nd, so that he can make a summit push on 20th or 21st, whichever looks better as we get closer. Of course we continue analyzing weather data day by day as we get closer to give the best possible forecast for Denis to be able to make a wise decision. Although it is still a bit far out in time to tell for sure, but this might just be the summit window he was hoping for… let’s keep our fingers crossed it holds! Winter 2019/20 Everest Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – At EBC K2 Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak Denis Urubko – Base Camp Batura Sar Ama Dablam Zoltán Szlankó, Alex Goldfarb – Summitted Gasherbrum I/II – Over Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger – Over Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Wind Stops Everyone
The good news is it is a bit warmer on both Everest and Broad Peak, the bad news, it’s too windy to climb. Time is running out for Urbuko on Broad Peak. Porters are coming on February 20. Everest Txikon on Southeast Ridge – Holding at EBC Alex Txikon and team were hoping to leave EBC for Camp 3 or even 4 at the South Col but high winds at EBC flattened tents and gave them pause about conditions higher. So they are holding for a bit more. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter As we mentioned yesterday, Everest can hit us really hard – even in Base Camp! The wind has flattened our tents, despite being cutting-edge, best quality equipment. But 89km/h gusts are unforgiving. We wanted to set off tomorrow, but that’s not going to happen. Cheers! His team includes Spaniard Oscar Cardo, and Nepalese Sherpas Chhiji Nurbu Sherpa, Pechhumbe Sherpa, and Tenjen Sherpa. You can follow him on his tracker. Jost on West Ridge – At C1 German alpinist Jost Kobusch, returned to his Camp 1 at 5933 m | 19465 ft but the big winds are probably giving his pause as it did for Txikon. In review, he plans on a winter, solo Everest climb without supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support. This exact style has never been attempted or accomplished. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. He has this update Tuesday, February 11, 2020, on Facebook: Just checked the weather forecast – the temperatures tend to rise – spring is coming! Summit temperatures of minus 69, like yesterday, are no longer in prospect. Today it is less windy – 20km/h wind and up to 60km/h gusts. For the lower part of the route this would be fine, but from tomorrow on in the upper part of the mountain there will be constant wind around 40km/h and gusts around 100km/h for the next days. As a benchmark➡️in good weather, a summit ascent could work if the gusts reach a maximum of 40km/h and otherwise it’s rather 20km/h wind – and even that would be damn cold! 🤪☀❄ Small disclaimer: The weather forecast yesterday was definitively refuted – it was the opposite of what was announced!🙈 I decided to go up again and see how the conditions are ‘really’ – without a doubt the wind is blowing at the summit but maybe I’ll still manage to have a look at the upper part of the route. Broad Peak – Waiting Denis Urubko is taking short walks to stay fit and prevent extreme boredom as he waits for the next window in a week or so. From montagna.tv Quick translation: Denis feels strong. He went down to Concordia for training (4h walk). Next good weather window will be 16-18 February…MAYBE there will be an attempt to summit. February 20 the BC will be dismantled Winter 2019/20 Everest Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – At EBC K2 Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak Denis Urubko – Base Camp Batura Sar Ama Dablam Zoltán Szlankó, Alex Goldfarb – Summitted Gasherbrum I/II – Over Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger – Over Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Warming Conditions
The cold is easing up a bit allowing more movement on Everest. No word from Denis Urubko on Broad Peak. Everest Txikon on Southeast Ridge – At EBC Alex Txikon and team are hoping to leave EBC for Camp 3 or even 4 at the South Col in a day or so. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter Finally, after one month know the Himalaya, we can have lunch outside! His team includes Spaniard Oscar Cardo, and Nepalese Sherpas Chhiji Nurbu Sherpa, Pechhumbe Sherpa, and Tenjen Sherpa. You can follow him on his tracker. Jost on West Ridge – At EBC German alpinist Jost Kobusch, is seeing the predicted warming temps but summit conditions remain too tough to even attempt. In review, he plans on a winter, solo Everest climb without supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support. This exact style has never been attempted or accomplished. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. He have this update Tuesday, February 11, 2020 on Facebook: Just checked the weather forecast – the temperatures tend to rise – spring is coming! Summit temperatures of minus 69, like yesterday, are no longer in prospect. Today it is less windy – 20km/h wind and up to 60km/h gusts. For the lower part of the route this would be fine, but from tomorrow on in the upper part of the mountain there will be constant wind around 40km/h and gusts around 100km/h for the next days. As a benchmark➡️in good weather, a summit ascent could work if the gusts reach a maximum of 40km/h and otherwise it’s rather 20km/h wind – and even that would be damn cold! 🤪☀❄ Small disclaimer: The weather forecast yesterday was definitively refuted – it was the opposite of what was announced!🙈 I decided to go up again and see how the conditions are ‘really’ – without a doubt the wind is blowing at the summit but maybe I’ll still manage to have a look at the upper part of the route. Broad Peak No update from Denis Urubko who was last reported at base camp waiting for improved weather. Winter 2019/20 Everest Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – At EBC K2 Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak Denis Urubko – Base Camp Batura Sar Ama Dablam Zoltán Szlankó, Alex Goldfarb – Summitted Gasherbrum I/II – Over Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger – Over Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Only A Few Remain
Cold has hampered the remaining expeditions, two on Everest and one on Broad Peak. However, this week looks better for Everest but still mind-numbing wind chills on BP. Broad Peak Denis Urubko was thought to go on his summit pus solo this weekend but stayed at base camp due to weather. The porters are trekking to BC to take all the gear back to Askole so his time is running out. Hopefully he will get a couple of days window of low winds to make his attempt but this forecast from Meteoexploration is not encouraging: Denis Urubko’s goal is to complete, what he considers, the first true winter ascent of Broad Peak and then, perhaps, go to K2 within his “winter.” He was teaming with Don Bowie and Lotta Hintsa but both have left the expeditions, Bowie, due to illness. Bowie gave this update on IG: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY FOR THE CORRECT DETAILS. This video was taken on Broad Peak yesterday morning at 6900m as I descended the mountain for the last time.Throughout this entire expedition I fought every day as hard as I could, climbing in the bitter cold day in and day out, staying commited and focused and determined to summit. However, I did not mentioned it here on Instagram, but ever since my early chest infections my coughing has become worse and worse. Each night my lungs became more congested, my coughing fits more frequent and violent. Yesterday, at Camp 3, I finally threw in the towel and quit this expedition. I had to get some medical attention- enough is enough- and I need to think about my future health. Denis and I climbed back.down to base camp, and I called my insurance company and explained the situation. They immediately sent a helicopter and flew me out. I am now at the hospital, and x-rays confirm that I have been operating for sometime now with bronchial pneumonia- the doctor says I have likely had it the entire expedition- a result of the early infections. For now, I’m just grateful to be down and getting treatment. Other quick details with more info later: 1) I do not and never have had HAPE. Period. In base camp I thought it was bronchitis. But it’s pneumonia. 2) There are storms and high winds forecast for (at least) the next 12 days making summit improbable before then. 3) Denis remained on the mountain to try again. GO DENIS WE ARE CHEERING FOR YOU!!! 4) @lottahintsa assessed the weather situation and determined to also leave the expedition- she told me she will post updates on her profile starting tomorrow. 5) I will post more in the days to come, but for now I just want thank each one of you for following us on this expedition- all your encouragement really means the world to me. Thank you and stay tuned for lots of pics and video now that we have proper WIFI. Don- As did Hintsa on IG: Part of the process of ending an expedition and staying sane (it’s quite a shock to be back in civilization) is analyzing the expedition, learning and moving your focus onto the next one. Here I’m gonna list some of the most awesome things that just happened! ❄️ I had the chance to climb with two of the best climbers in the world, Denis Urubko and @donbowie , watching them, asking questions, learning and trying to keep up with them. (Btw, Denis is still in BC, and with his experience he might have the chance to summit. Cheering on you, Denis!!!) ❄️ Winter climbing teaches you so much more than summer climbing. Four words: Hard. Blue. Steep. Ice. For hundreds of vertical meters that you climb up and down, over and over again. ❄️ Having to climb straight from BC to C2 in winter conditions. Tough but rewarding, a good test! ❄️ EDIT: at least the guys didn’t know any other woman that had been this high in winter Karakoram, but we found out from @montagnamagica that Tamara Stys had been at 7250m on Gash I! Huge respect woman!! (Nanga Parbat is part of Himalaya) ❄️ Definitely expanded my comfort zone. ❄️ And additionally I am forever grateful for the awesome BC team we had!! Mohsin, Jahved and Ali Abas, thank you for taking so good care of us, for providing good food and some kerosene warmth! Tajamul, our liaison officer, thanks for watching after us! ❄️ I think I’m in a pretty awesome place to start training for the next big expedition Everest The big picture is that the cold and wind have kept climbers at Base Camp for the past few days but according to the app Windy, this week will see highs in the teens (15F/-12C) with low winds thus this might be a great week to make progress. Txikon on Southeast Ridge – At EBC Alex Txikon and team are staying at EBC after reaching 6500 meters near the base of the Lhotse Face. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter The night falls over Base Camp and temperatures reach -25°C. We shoot sunset pictures at the first hours of a cold, starred night, expecting the camera to start freezing… but it keeps working! His team includes Spaniard Oscar Cardo, and Nepalese Sherpas Chhiji Nurbu Sherpa, Pechhumbe Sherpa, and Tenjen Sherpa. You can follow him on his tracker. Jost on West Ridge – At EBC German alpinist Jost Kobusch, with his foot healing, appears to be staying at basecamp. In review, he plans on a winter, solo Everest climb without supplemental oxygen and no Sherpa support. This exact style has never been attempted or accomplished. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. Batura Sar In preparing for a 2020/21 K2 winter attempt, Piotr Tomala,Rafał Fronia, Wojciech Flaczyński, Filip Babicz, Mariusz Hatala, Kacper Kłoda, Marco Schwidergall and Oswald Rodrigo are attempting the first winter at Batura Sar, an impressive 7,795 meter peak, located in the western Karakoram Pakistan. The latest from their site: On Sunday, February 9, a three-man team
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Weekend Update
Climbing in the winter is dramatically different than in the usual seasons, obviously. More expeditions don’t summit than stand on top. There are many reasons for this ranging from experience, preparation, and team dynamics to weather, mountain conditions or just that after weeks on end at temperatures hovering under -20F/-29C and winds gusting over 100mph/160kph it takes a toll on the human body. In those conditions, you hole up in your tent passing the days waiting for better weather. And when a break it comes it is usually just a few days. At some point, you just give in. We are now well into February, so those wanting to summit in winter are becoming more mindful of the deadlines. By either definition of winter, there is still plenty of time but they need to jump on every opportunity. The standard definitions include the meteorological definition that begin on the first day of the months that include the equinoxes and solstices thus February 29, 2020, would end winter. The astronomical definition uses the dates of equinoxes and solstices thus winter would end when spring begins on the spring equinox. For the Pakistani peak that is 20 March at 08:49 and for Everest it’s 20 March at 09:34. source I went deeply into this last year on this post. Thus far this winter of 2019/20 there have been no summits on the 8000ers attempted: K2, Gasherbrum, and Broad Peak. Only the 6000er Ama Dablam has seen multiple summits. There is still a slight chance that Denis Urburko and Don Bowie attempt K2 after Broad Peak, but Don became ill on his last summit push thus making K2 even less probable. Nepal issued permits to 27 members from five teams on four peaks: Everest, Ama Dablam, Nuptse, and Mount Rokpai. The largest team was Alex Txikon’s Ama/Everest with 20 overall members but only three for Everest. Injuries Tamara Lunger and Simone Moro were attempting to link a crossing of Gasherbrum I and II when on Monday, January 20, 2020, Moro fell through a soft snow bridge and 12 meters into a crevasse. They were at the Icefields at the base of Gasherbrum. Lunger, roped to Moro, self arrested but was pulled within a meter of the open crack. He eventually climbed out but she injured her hand. They both were flown by Pakistani military helicopters to Skardu thus ending their expedition. On Everest Jonatan García with Alex Txikon’s team also punched through a snow bridge and into a crevasse in the Khumbu Icefall. He hurt his back and was flow back to Kathmandu ending his effort. Also on Everest, solo climber Jost Kobusch, hurt his foot resulting over a week delay while he recovered. He says it better now, but it must have taken a toll on his capacity. Abandonded Expeditions The only K2 team, lead by Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, ended their effort this past week citing “personal reason”. I spoke with Mingma and he told me ” Yes, it was tough but I felt we are not prepared because winter in the Karakoram is completely different from Himalaya.” We will talk more once they are back in Islamabad or home. He also said one of their Sherpas was hit by falling ice just below ABC and needs medical treatment but it’s not too serious. Everyone else is safe. Novel Expeditions, in Antarctica Alex Txikon and teammates climbed on December 26, 2019, what they believe was a previously unsummited peak in Antarctica before going to Nepal for Everest. Jimmy Chin along with Conrad Anker and others wanted to ski the north face of Mt. Tyree, the second-highest peak on the Antarctica continent. The results are unclear, Jimmy was coy on if they succeeded or not writing “We did a little ass-kicking and also got our asses kicked.” But David Roskelley became what he believes is the first American to climb the highest volcano on each of the seven continents. He along with six teammates summited Mount Sidley, the highest volcano in Antarctica. Broad Peak Don Bowie developed some kind of lung issue forcing he and Denis to abandoned their summit push. They want to try again. Urubko posted on Facebook: “We are in BC; today weather is miracle for summit 🙂 but I was not able to leave Don alone. He was very bad. Now he needs rest” Now firmly in February, the winter clock is ticking louder. Injuries and weather are taking their toll on the climbers. No 8000er summits, yet. Only 3 teams remain on the 8000ers. Denis Urubko’s goal is to complete, what he considers, the first true winter ascent of Broad Peak and then, perhaps, go to K2 within his “winter.” He is teaming with Don Bowie and Lotta Hintsa. Hintsa is not on the summit push. Everest Txikon on Southeast Ridge – Back at EBC Alex Txikon and team are back at EBC after reaching 6500 meters near the base of the Lhotse Face. They wanted to reach Camp 3 but winds turned them back. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter We’re back in Base Camp! We set off toward C3 on the morning but the wind was too strong. We left a gear cache at 6500m and turned around. We’ll go up again aiming for Camp 4 as soon as we get two days of good weather. His team includes Spaniard Oscar Cardo, and Nepalese Sherpas Chhiji Nurbu Sherpa, Pechhumbe Sherpa, and Tenjen Sherpa. You can follow him on his tracker. Jost on West Ridge – Back to EBC German alpinist Jost Kobusch, with his foot healing, appears to be back to base after inspecting the route to gain the Cho La Pass. He posted on IG: Took a closer look at the rock climbing passage today. Feeling really better – during the last few months I’ve had stomach problems. But they have improved by about 20 So I have 20 % more energy! Many of you keep asking me how I’m doing. I am incredibly happy and grateful to be here and to live this adventure! At the same time,