2018/19 Winter Climbs: Trekking
Not a lot of new information from any of the teams. The K2 teams are still on the trek and others are still early in their climbs. K2: Trekking to Base Camp K2: Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team – Trekking the Baltoro The seven member team from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan are trekking towards K2 Base Camp. They are currently at the Urdukas Camp. You can follow them on Instagram but Russian Climb is the best source. K2: Spanish/Galician Team – Trekking the Baltoro The other K2 team, lead by Alex Txikon, are also trekking the Baltoro Glacier towards K2 Base Camp and at Paiyu. You can follow their movements on Alex’s GPS tracker, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Winter Nanga Parbat – Poor Weather This team is attempting a new route on Mummery’s Spur. Daniele Nardi, British Thomas Ballard and two Pakistani teammates Rehmatullah Baig and Karim have established Camp 3 at 5,714m. Winter Manaslu – Cold and Windy Mera Simone Moro and Pemba Gyalje Sherpa summited Mera Peak and now are at Khare. They posted a video talking about how cold it was. “Back to CB after a night spent at 5800 m. Here in the video we’re descending in complete whiteout. The weather forecast for the next days is strong wind at 130 kph. ” Winter Alaska – Flying American climber Lonnie Dupre is in Talkeetna, Alaska is on MT. Hunter now but had to change route due to the Icefall being “completely impassable” with all the crevasses. Best of luck to all this winter. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2018/19 Winter Climbs: K2 Climbers en route, Nanga Climbers Climbing, New Everest Route?
The winter 8000-meter teams are well on their way to their respective peaks. On Nanga Parbat, the climbing has begun. K2: In Skardu K2: Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team – Arrival Pakistan The seven member team from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan are in Skardu after taking a bus on Karakoram Highway for 30 hours. It seems there was some construction and repairs along the way that delayed their progress but all is well now. Next up is the 8 to 10 hour drive in Toyota 4Runners to the end of the road in Askole where they will being the trek to K2 Base Camp. You can follow them on Instagram but Russian Climb is the best source. K2: Spanish/Galician Team – On the road The other K2 team, lead by Alex Txikon, are also in Skardu. While no final decision has been made on which route they will take, it appears they are open the 1978 American Route. Also, Txikon told the Spanish media, Marca in December that if they end up on the same route as the Russian International team, most likely the Abruzzi, that they will work together. He said they will share kitchen facilities at base camp. He also said “K2, there is less chance than on Everest” for a winter summit and suggested he will return in the summer of 2019 to do a traverse of K2 combing the Pakistani and Chinese sides. You can follow their movements on Alex’s GPS tracker, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Winter Nanga Parbat – Poor Weather This team is attempting a new route on Mummery’s Spur. After a short period of heavy snow, Daniele Nardi, British Thomas Ballard and two Pakistani teammates Rehmatullah Baig and Karim have established their Camp 1 at 15,49-feet/4,700-meters , and touched Camp 2 at 16,730-feet/5,100-meters They posted this video on YouTube Winter Manaslu – Summited Mera Simone Moro and Pemba Gyalje Sherpa summited Mera Peak for acclimatization and posted this update on Instagram: “Today we reached the Mera Peak summit at 15:30 after five hours of ascent. Cold and heavy gusts of wind on top, but it took us only eight hours to climb up and down.” Winter Alaska – Flying American climber Lonnie Dupre is in Talkeetna, Alaska hoping to fly to the glacier tomorrow for his winter attempt on Mt. Hunter. Everest: New Route Attempt Spring 2019 Cory Richards posted on Instagram “2019. The biggest and most immediate goal is our attempt to establish a previously unclimbed route on Everest come May. We have 14 weeks until we leave…” He is said to be climbing with Adrain Ballinger. Best of luck to all this winter. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2018/19 Winter Climbs: K2 Climbers Enroute, Antarctic Update, 28 Everest Summits?
The winter 8000-meter teams are all arriving or are already acclimating towards their objectives. Remember this will be a long effort, especially on K2, with summits near the end of January at the earliest. K2: Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team – Arrival Pakistan The seven member team from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan are in Islamabad and are preparing to fly to Skardu for the 4Runner drive to the end of the road in Askole where they will being the trek to K2 Base Camp Vassiliy Pivtsov is the expedition leader and Basil Pivtsov (Kazakhstan) is the head of the expedition and the team captain. Artem Brown (Russia) is listed as the project organizer. The rest of the team now includes: Abildayev Novel (Russia), Roman Abildaev (Russia), Michael Danichkin (Kyrgyzstan), Mikhail Danichkin (Kyrgyzstan), Tursunali Aubakirov (Kazakhstan), Tursunov Aubakirov (Kazakhstan), Dmitry Ants (Kazakhstan), Dmitry Muraviov (Kazakhstan), Konstantin Shepelin (Russia), Konstantin Shepelin (Russia) You can follow them on Instagram but Russian Climb is the best source. K2: Spanish/Galician Team – On the road The other K2 team is lead by Alex Txikon is now traveling by bus from Kathmandu to Islamabad while his Spanish teammates will fly from Madrid. He will be climbing with his long time friend and partner Felix Criado from Galicia, Spain and two additional teammates: Polish climbers Marek Klonowski and Paweł Dunaj. They will have a strong team of eight Sherpas with them in support including Nuri Sherpa, Chhepal Sherpa, Geljen Sherpa, Hallung Sherpa and Pasang Sherpa. He has not announced what route they will use, Abruzzi or Česen or even the East Face. The pair attempted K2 in 2013 but stopped just above Camp 2 at 6,900-meters. You can follow their movements on Alex’s GPS tracker, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Winter Nanga Parbat – Poor Weather Daniele Nardi with British Thomas Ballard and two Pakistani team members Rehmatullah Baig and Karim Hayat are attempting a new route on Nanga Parbat. They reached Camp 1 on the mountain while the two Pakistani mountaineers had hoped to move up to Camp 2 but heavy snow has forced everyone back down to base camp. Winter Manaslu – On Trek Simone Moro and Pemba Gyalje Sherpa are on the trek to acclimatize on Mera Peak before attempting Manaslu via the normal route in alpine style. In more noise around when winter begins and when an expedition starts, Moro has said “the only ascent to the Manaslu during an astronomical winter , that of the Poles of 1984, could not be considered a totally winter expedition , since it began before December 21 and was already above 7,000 meters when it began the station.” source Winter Alaska – Arriving Alaska American climber Lonnie Dupre, well known for his amazing attempts to summit Denali in true winter, left for Alaska yesterday for his winter attempt on nearby Mt. Hunter. An Antartica “Unassisted” Record? Antartica expert and veteran polar guide Eric Philips added a bit more on American Colin O’Brady’s claim of a solo, unassisted, and unsupported 54-day Antarctic traverse. O’Brady pulled a 136Kg/300lb sledge from one coast to Antartica to the South Pole then to another costal point. The total journey was 1,487km/923 miles. He beat fellow racer, British Army Captain Lou Rudd by 2 days. Both extremely impressive. However, the record part of his journey has come under scrutiny given he traveled on the McMurdo-South Pole Highway, or the South Pole Overland Traverse Road (SPOT), a flattened trail groomed by tractors towing heavy sledges carrying personnel and supplies from McMurdo Station to the South Pole making travel on groomed ice vs the uneven and often impossible sastrugi (wind built ice formations) easier, and faster. Philips posted on Facebook: To add further clarity to the discussion about Colin O’Brady’s claim on the first solo, unsupported and unassisted crossing of Antarctica, I have made up this map of solo crossings to date with some supporting narrative. Other factors also have a bearing on modern polar expeditioning such as the psychological benefit of satellite phones, accessible weather forecasting and sponsor obligations, and economic and logistic pressures that encourage people to choose routes that start and/or finish closer to logistics hubs. The terms unsupported and unassisted are no longer adequate in themselves so I have refrained from using them as labels. Other News Kami Rita Sherpa at age 48 holds the record for most Everest summits at 22. He says he wants to continue climbing for the next 6 years. If he summits each year, that would put him at 28 Everest summits. source He used to work for foreign guide services but landed a lucrative contract with Seven Summits Treks to climb with them. And finally the young Sherpa who lost both set of fingers to frostbite while guiding a Pakistani client, Col Abdul Jabbar Bhatti , on Everest in spring 2017 has returned to Nepal. In an ironic move, he has agreed to take a job with the very company, Seven Summits Treks, that sent him in harms ways, very unprepared according to Sange Sherpa himself. Sange spent most of the last year undergoing reconstructive surgery by world-class doctors in Vail, Colorado due to the generosity of mostly US donors to cover his living and medical expenses and reportedly none from SST or Col Abdul Jabbar Bhatti. Best wishes in his new career. Best of luck to all this winter. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
2018/19 Winter K2: Climbers Enroute, Controversy in Antarctic, Colorado Perfect
The K2 teams are on their way to Pakistan for their winter attempts but not without problems already. K2: Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team First up is an international group, made up of climbers from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan. They are already having financial issues according to the website Russian Climb and reduced the team size from 11 to 7: Despite comprehensive efforts, the guys could not find money for all originally claimed eleven members. Therefore, the team will go to Karakorum in a reduced composition. There will be seven of them.. Vassiliy Pivtsov is still the expedition leader and Basil Pivtsov (Kazakhstan) is the head of the expedition and the team captain. Artem Brown (Russia) is listed as the project organizer. The rest of the team now includes: Abildayev Novel (Russia), Roman Abildaev (Russia), Michael Danichkin (Kyrgyzstan), Mikhail Danichkin (Kyrgyzstan), Tursunali Aubakirov (Kazakhstan), Tursunov Aubakirov (Kazakhstan), Dmitry Ants (Kazakhstan), Dmitry Muraviov (Kazakhstan), Konstantin Shepelin (Russia), Konstantin Shepelin (Russia) It’s reported they climbed together above 7,000-meters for the “Winter Snow leopard” program, and the team leader Vassily Pivtsov has climbed all 14 highest peaks of the world without the use of supplemental oxygen. They plan to arrive in Islamabad no later than January 1, 2019 and climb the traditional Abruzzi route. You can follow them on Instagram but Russian Climb is the best source. K2: Spanish/Galician Team The second team is lead by Alex Txikon who has already arrived in Kathmandu according recent social media posts. There he is meeting with his Sherpa support team. He will be climbing with his long time friend and partner Felix Criado from Galicia, Spain and now two additional teammates: Polish climbers Marek Klonowski and Paweł Dunaj. They will have a strong team of eight Sherpas with them in support including Nuri Sherpa, Chhepal Sherpa, Geljen Sherpa, Hallung Sherpa and Pasang Sherpa. He has not announced what route they will use, Abruzzi or Česen or even the East Face. The pair attempted K2 in 2013 but stopped just above Camp 2 at 6,900-meters. You can follow their movements on Alex’s GPS tracker, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Winter Nanga Parbat In a vague series of reports, Daniele Nardi with unnamed partners will attempt a new route on Nanga Parbat. We know have more clarity saying that Italian climber Daniele Nardi and British Thomas Ballard with their two Pakistani team members Rehmatullah Baig and Karim Hayat according to Pakistan Mountain News. This will be his fifth attempt on NB. Alex Txikon, Simone Moro and Ali Sadpara made the first winter summit on February 26, 2016. Their logistics organizer, Jasmin Tours,reports: A 2 members team supported by 2 Pakistani high altitude climbers led by Daniele Nordi is in Islamabad to make another Winter attempt on Nanga Parbat. They are scheduled to be at base Camp on January 1. Nadri was quoted: “a lot of people ask me about Nanga Parbat in winter, I am not going exactly for Nanga Parbat but to complete new route in winter along Mummery Spur in alpine style, so our first objective is to complete this route up to 7000 meters and after this climb to reach the top. In the past I tried to complete this route but I couldn’t finish it, so this is the real enthusiasm to go there”. He also jumped in on the “When does winter end” debate saying “… winter ends on 28th of February, March is not winter its spring, but I am not hardliner to discard accents made in mid of march or earlier, yes for the future it’s good to consider some specific dates for winter.” NB 2017 Rescue Award The American Alpine Club has said they will award Dennis Urubko, Adam Bielecki, Jaroslaw Botor and Piotrek Tomala the David A. Sowles Award, which recognizes “unselfish devotion at personal risk or sacrifice of a major objective, in going to the assistance of fellow climbers imperiled in the mountains.” The ceremony will be at their annual benefit dinner on March 9 in San Francisco, California. In January 2018, the four climbers left their winter K2 attempt to save Elizabeth Revol on Nanga Parba. She was climbing with Tomek Mackiewicz, who died during the descent. Winter Manaslu Simone Moro and Pemba Gyalje Sherpa will be attempting Manaslu via the normal route in alpine style after acclimatizing on Mera Peak. Winter Alaska American climber Lonnie Dupre, well known for his amazing attempts to summti Denali in true winter is back at it again with a winter attempt on nearby Mt. Hunter. An Antartica “Unassisted” Record? With great fanfare, American Colin O’Brady, finished his 54-day Antarctic traverse, solo, unassisted, and unsupported journey to the adulation of the adventure world. It was an amazing accomplishment for this 33 year-old who pulled a 136Kg/300lb sledge from one coast to Antartica to the South Pole then to another costal point. The total journey was 1,487km/923 miles. He beat fellow racer, British Army Captain Lou Rudd by 2 days. This was an amazing achievement worthy of all the press both adventurers are receiving but now there is a hitch. Explorersweb is suggesting he was assisted given he traveled on the McMurdo-South Pole Highway, or the South Pole Overland Traverse Road (SPOT), a flattened trail groomed by tractors towing heavy sledges carrying personnel and supplies from McMurdo Station to the South Pole. Obviously traveling on groomed ice vs the uneven and often impossible sastrugi (wind built ice formations) makes the entire journey much easier, and faster. They quote veteran polar guide Eric Philips ““It is a highway, [that] more than doubles someone’s speed and negates the need for navigation. An expedition cannot be classed as unassisted if someone is skiing on a road.” Explorersweb, a keen follower of polar expeditions goes on to question if they really made traverse: Furthermore, both shortened their route significantly by calling a halt at the beginning of the Ross Ice Shelf: which their famous predecessors from the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration — and some strong modern travelers — did not. Borge Ousland’s 1996-7 crossing of Antarctica is often called “assisted” because he used a kite part of the way. However, his route covered the entire Ross Ice Shelf and was 1,000km
2018/19 Winter K2, Nanga Parbat but No Everest
As the winter of 2018/19 begins, we are seeing another set of attempts on the world’s second highest peak K2 however the winter Everest commercial expedition has been cancelled. K2 remains the only 8,000-meter mountain not summited in winter and Everest has only a few. Also there will be a winter attempt by a new route on Nanga Parbat. Before I get to who is climbing, one of the more interesting aspects of claiming a winter summit is exactly when is winter? Big Picture – When does Winter End? If you remember the K2 attempt last winter, there was a lot of controversy over when winter ends, mostly by Denis Urubko. He feels it ends on February 28, not the Spring equinox on March 20, 2018 at 12:15 pm EDT. But to say there is consensus on the date would be a mistake! The reality is it depends on where you live and the local customs and definition. First off, both Pakistan and Nepal issue climbing permits with different fees according to the season. On Everest, for example, Nepal charges USD$11,000 per person for a spring permit – the most popular time. But for a winter permit, the least popular time, it drops to USD$2,750. Both countries’ tourism ministries define winter as December, January and February for permit purposes. They simply take the year and divide into four equal parts. For most people born and raised in this environment, that is what defines the seasons. However, many people, including myself, were raised and taught that the seasons are defined according to the astronomical definition which is based on how the sun hits the earth and the shortest and longest days each year, in other words the equinoxes and solstices. Then there are the seasonal definitions influenced by length of day and temperatures. Obviously March 1 at the North Pole compared to being on the equator are very different. Also, if it is a rainy time of year or dry. To make matter even more complicated, the Hindu calendar has six seasons!! But hold on, it gets worse (or different 🙂 ). Australia and New Zealand use the meteorological definition, so spring begins on September 1 each year. Ireland uses an ancient Celtic calendar system to determine the seasons, so spring begins on St Brigid’s Day on February 1. In Finland and Sweden, the dates of the seasons are not based on the calendar at all, but on temperatures. To make your head spin a bit, take a look at this chart courtesy of Scribd So if we see K2 summits in March will it be winter or spring? The answer is “yes.” The Big Picture Climbing any peak in the winter is all about weather, specifically cold and wind, wind, wind. Any 8,000-meter team will cope with the cold but when the wind gusts over 40mph/65kph it gets virtually impossible. This year, the K2 climbers have the skills, are strong and experienced so their capabilities are not in question. But even the strongest person cannot withstand 100mph wind gusts. Winter K2 There are two teams on K2 this winter. It remains to be seen if they will end up working together. I think there is a good chance. K2: Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan Team First up is an international group, made up of climbers from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Vassiliy Pivtsov will be the expedition leader. The rest of the team includes Roman Abildaev (Russia), Vitaly Akimov (Russia), Tursunali Aubakirov (Kazakhstan), Mikhail Danichkin (Kyrgyzia), Ildar Gabbasov(Kazakhstan), Eugeny Glazunov (Russia), Dmitry Muraviov(Kazakhstan), Serguey Seliverstov(Kyrgyzia), Pavel Vorobjov (Russia) according to the website Russian Climb. It’s reported they climbed together above 7,000-meters for the “Winter Snow leopard” program, and the team leader Vassily Pivtsov has climbed all 14 highest peaks of the world without the use of supplemental oxygen. They plan to arrive in Islamabad no later than January 2, 2019 and plan on using the traditional Abruzzi route. They continue to seek financial support so I assume there is a chance this expedition will not happen. On Facebook they posted: You may have heard about the winter expedition on K2 (8611 M. ), the issue of funding remains open. The project is a, I wish the “word in mountaineering” said our boys! Ours is both kazakhs and kyrgyz and Russians! Friends! If anyone wants to claim themselves on the whole world and enter history, I can tell the briefest way 😉 The Flag of your company at the top of k2 as part of the winter expedition, a million audience, PR at the highest level! You can write and in direct, and in the comments 🙂 It is about the participation of kazakh climbers, kyrgyz and Russians on themselves looking for and will find.Country PR on the highest and most difficult top of the world, billions of times less than expo or other megaproject, hope only on us, the rest denied. That said their logistics organizer, Jasmin Tours, provide photos of gear deposited at K2 Base Camp by porters. You can follow them on Instagram and donate on their website which includes an English version. K2: Spanish/Galician Team The second team is lead by Alex Txikon with his long time friend and partner Felix Criado from Galicia, Spain. They will have a strong team of eight Sherpas with them in support including Nuri Sherpa, Chhepal Sherpa, Geljen Sherpa, Hallung Sherpa and Pasang Sherpa. In this interview with Mundo Deportivo Tixkon feels they can reach Camp 4 on K2 but from there it’s an open question depending on weather and snow conditions. Also, he wants to use igloos for shelter, instead the use of the usual tents. “Inside the igloos, we will be able to zero degrees and even positive with the help of a candle values.” He has not announced what route they will use, Abruzzi or Česen or even the East Face. They also want to be in Pakistan by January 2, 2019. The pair attempted K2 in 2013 but stopped just above Camp 2 at 6,900-meters. You can follow their movements on Alex’s GPS tracker, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. K2 Winter History During the first winter attempt in 1987/88, the team noted