K2 2018 Summer Coverage: K2 Summit Push Underway
Teams are spread out all over K2 as the summit push has begun. Most teams left on Monday and are slowly working their way up the Hill. Sherpas are already at Camp 4, the High Camp and reports are coming in they have fixed the Bottleneck withe ropes. Last night, 17 July, K2 was hit […]
K2 2018 Summer Coverage: Broad Peak, Gasherbrum Summits, K2 Push Begins
Not to be denied, the second summit push on Broad Peak was successful for most as was a clean summit of Gasherbrum II. And there are still climbers hoping to get Nanga Parbat. A large group of climbers have left K2 Base Camp hoping to summit later this week. Big Picture With good weather continuing, […]
K2 2018 Summer Coverage: Weekend Update July 15
The middle of the summer climbing season has arrived in Pakistan and this season continues to all about weather and deaths. But also about near deaths, drones and deep snow. This story continues to unfold in mysterious ways. Big Picture Ten days ago, the 2018 season was looking a lot like 2015 and 2016 with […]
K2 2018 Summer Coverage: Progress
With a span of good weather days, teams have made good progress across the Karakoram, including K2. Talk is starting of potential summit days in about a week. AND it looks like there was another summit on Nanga Parbat! Big Picture The primary reason climbing 8,000-meter Hills takes so long is weather. You can acclimatize […]
K2 2018 Summer Coverage: Another Death in the Karakoram
Once again, there is sad news from the Northern Pakistan Mountains. While attempting the almost 8,000-meter peak Gasherbrum IV, 32 years-old Italian climber Maurizio Giordano was hit by falling ice while on rappel. He died on the mountain. GIV is 7,925-meters. He was on an acclimatization rotation with fellow Italian Army climbers Marco Majori, Marco Farina and […]
K2 2018 Summer Coverage: Nanga Parbat Summit, Broad Peak Playing Tough
After the tragic news of Canadian climber Serge Dessureault’s death on K2 over the weekend, some good news would be welcomed and we have it with a summit on the difficult and deadly Nanga Parbat. Also, on Broad Peak, a summit attempt was halted due to dangerous conditions but they are going right back up. Nanga Parbat […]
K2 2018 Summer Coverage: K2 Climber Falls to Death
Tragic news from K2 on Saturday 7 July, 2018. Canadian climber Serge Dessureault is thought to have fallen to his death just below Houses’ Chimney or perhaps while rappelling down the Black Pyramid. He was climbing with fellow Quebecers Nathalie Fortin and Maurice Beausejour who are both safe. Fortin posted on Facebook that they had spent the night at […]
K2 2018 Summer Coverage: Weekend Update July 6
As we approach the first weekend in July 2018, one word summarizes this season: weather. It is appearing that teams will need some serious relief from the heavy snowfall if there will be summits this year. Big Picture 2018 is looking a lot like 2015 and 2016 when no one summited K2 and only a […]
K2 2018 Summer Season: ” I’ve never experienced such a season with so constant bad weather in the Karakoram.”
It continues to be wild in the Pakistani Mountains. The week started with heavy snow delays, cleared for a day before the snow came back and now it’s mixed across the five 8000-meter peaks. All of this has taken a toll with multiple teams ending their expeditions saying the avalanche conditions are too dangerous, and […]
K2 2018 Summer Season Coverage: Climbing Again
After almost a week of inactivity due to heavy snow, climbing has returned to the five Karakoram 8000ers but some climbers are saying 2018 is not a safe year and are leaving. This is similar to 2015 and 2016 when no one summited K2, and only a few on other 8000ers. The Karakoram has always […]