K2 2017 Season Coverage: Weather Watch
As Yogi Berra said: “It’s déjà vu all over again.” And with that activity on K2 has come to a complete stop. High winds, rain at base camp and snow up high has teams on hold but not on Gasherbrum I where we saw some summits. K2 The result of Friday’s avalanche on the Abruzzi […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: High Winds Strike Once Again
Climbing continues on K2 and for a few on Broad Peak but once again the weather, specifically high winds, are slowing progress. K2 The result of Friday’s avalanche on the Abruzzi route on K2 is still a question. Minga Gyalje Sherpa provided this short update today: Avalanche on Abruzzi route on 14July is still unknown. Yesterday […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: Avalanche on the Abruzzi
While this headline is a bit dramatic, it is also quite common on K2. Of first priority, no one was hurt. I had just received a message from British-American climber, Vanessa O’Brien this morning saying that there was a lot of snow on K2 then this came in from her expedition operator,Minga Gyalje Sherpa: Big Avalanche […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: The Rare K2/Broad Peak Double Summit
For some climbers one summit is not enough so they add a second peak on the same trip to claim that all elusive double. Now that there have been summits on Broad Peak this 2017 summer, many climbers will move to K2. This coveted double header is often sought but rarely achieved. The most recent […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: Broad Peak Summits!!
In spite of changing weather forecast, Furtenbach Adventures and Kari Kobler put climbers on the summit! On K2, Sherpas got ropes near Camp 4. Broad Peak Summits Lucas Furtenbach posted on their summtis: SUMMIT!!! Glad to report that our team made the first Broad peak summits this year. After a start at 7pm at C3 yesterday they […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: Climbers Dodge Wild Weather
It is business as usual in the Karakorum. The weather is driving some teams crazy creating stop/start summits pushes on Broad Peak and the Gasherbrum while those on K2 seem to be taking their time to acclimatize. Broad Peak: Stalled … Again Òscar Cadiach stopped his attempt over the weekend due to deep snow above […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: Weather Stalls Progress
Right on cue, bad weather moved into the Karakorum stopping a proposed summit attempt on Broad Peak and some rope fixing on K2. However, there has been progress in spots. Grace McDonald on Broad Peak with Furtenbach Adventures summed it all up perhaps for everyone in the Karakorum today: I made a stormy descent to base camp this […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: Search Halted on Nanga, Monday Summits on Broad?
The Karakorum season is off to a sad start with multiple deaths. Meanwhile teams are hoping for Monday summits on Broad Peak and others reach Camp 1 on K2. Search Ends for Climbers Nanga Parbat: search ends After a helicopter search found avalanche debris at the last GPS transmission point for the Spanish-Argentinian team of Alberto Zerain […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: Missing Climbers, Cheating Climbers, Weather Windows
The Karakorum season has begun in earnest with teams preparing to fix the route on K2 and those on Broad Peak waiting for the weather window to firm up before they attempt the summit. Also, there are missing climbing on two peaks: Nanga Parbat and Elbrus plus discord at base camps. Missing Climbers Elbrus An […]
K2 2017 Season Coverage: Teams Begin Climbing
The climbing season in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range is well underway with teams arriving at base camps and some already spending a few nights at Camps 1 and 2 during their acclimatization rotations. There are reports of significant snow on the mountains. K2 Teams have just arrived at K2 base camp. British-American Vanessa O’Brien reports that […]