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,
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Broad Peak Summit Push Stopped
The Karakorum continues to play tough. Yesterday the only team on K2 quickly flew out ending their effort and today the Broad Peak team halted their summit push but suggest they will try again in February to meet Denis Urubko’s definition of winter. Broad Peak – Illness Stops Summit Push Don Bowie developed some kind of lung issue forcing he and Denis to abandoned their summit push. I hope it wasn’t HAPE and he can recover. They still have 23 days to go until the end of February. Urubko posted on Facebook: We fixed tent and drink soup in ‘my’ crevase 🙂 at 7000m. Don is extremaly sick pulmons. Tomorow We will leave deposit and rapell down to the base camp. We have 2 weeks more. I feel well and will wait the moment. Way is ready to 7500m with fixed ropes. 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 – Windy Txikon on Southeast Ridge – Remaining at C2 due to winds Alex Txikon and team are at Camp 2 in the Western Cwm on their way to overnight at Camp 3. They are at 6457 meters/21,184 feet. They cite high winds as the reason to stay put instead of moving to C3. If you recall, the winds stopped Alex on his previous winter Everest efforts. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter Alex & Co. have remained in C2 today, acclimatising and enduring high winds. Should it drop somehow tomorrow, they’d set off and work on the route toward C3. 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 – Injury Better, Recco Climb to Lho La German alpinist Jost Kobusch, appears to be back inspecting the route to gain the Cho La Pass. He has been resting a foot injury for a week or so making a couple of short trips out of EBC. He’s now been there for about six weeks, in very stressful, cold conditions. I can only imagine the toll this is taking on his body. He posted on IG: Today I took a closer look at the rock climbing section. Feeling really better – during the last months I had some stomach problems but they have improved by about 20%. So I have 20% more energy! Many of you keep asking me how I am doing. I am incredibly happy and grateful to be here and to be able to live this adventure! At the same time I am also worried about the physical discomfort and the danger I am in at times. It is a mixture of love and hate that makes this adventure so exciting and creates an intensity that makes me appreciate so many small details in my daily life! I already remember so many experiences out here with so much clarity. Like climbing a 6b+ solo and being under so much adrenaline that you almost threw up. Or the freezing temperatures of my winter Everest route, which were so low that I had to climb in mountain boots, down suits and mittens. The mittens could be opened so I could climb with free fingers – which I had to warm with my breath every two minutes… And then there are times when I walk along the glaciers listening to the Tim Ferris Show or Mountain Meister. Then I am in flow and get so creative! Being here – it is a whole mix of physical and emotional sensations. 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. Winter 2019/20 Everest At Camp 2 Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – At C2 in Cwm. K2 – Over Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak – Summit Push Stopped Denis Urubko – Summit Push stopped due to illness Batura Sar – Climbing at C1 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: Update on Everest Hanging Serac
Last Autumn, several teams abandoned their Everest climbs fearing a teetering serac above the Khumbu Icefall. It was so massive that if it fell, it would shatter directly on top of their route killing anyone there instantly. Echos of a similar release in 2014 were loud. That incident killed 16 Sherpas. So the big question has been, is it still there? The serac hangs about 3,000 ft【914 m】up off of the Khumbu Icefall on the west shoulder of Mount Everest, midway above the Icefall’s Football Field spot. It was estimated to 200-300 feet tall. Jost Kobusch is taking the West Ridge thus has not made a comment, however, last Autumn, Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering, Kilian Jornet, and Andrzej Bargiel made ongoing comments about the status as they observed it from base camp or from a drone. Jornet sped through the icefall a few times taking the risk. Still There I reached out to Alex Txikon‘s home team for an update, and it looks like it’s still hanging up there. This is the direct answer from Angela Benavides, their Press Manager: I’ve asked Mingma, the ice doctor in Txikon’s expedition. He says that the serac is still there and still dangerous, but that they have come up with an alternative, safer route through the Icefall. Also, Alex mentioned that the wind is so strong, it has made many seracs crumble down, leaving instead lots of chaotic rubble, difficult to traverse but otherwise somehow safer. What are the implications for the spring season remains unclear. I anticipate a few teams will cancel their Nepal side expeditions altogether or switch to the Tibet side. I’ve already had one team tell me they will not climb from Nepal this year for a number of reasons. I’ll do a separate post on them later this week, its an interesting story and perhaps a harbinger of things to come for Nepal if nothing changes. Winter 2019/20 Everest At Camp 2 Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – At C1 in Cwm. K2 – Over Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak, then K2? – On BP Summit Push Denis Urubko – On Summit Push Batura Sar – Climbing at C1 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:K2 Winter OVER, Broad Peak Summit Push Underway
Huge news that Mingma Gyalje Sherpa‘s Imagine Nepal has ended its K2 winter effort. The reasons remain vague. The team flew back to Askole by helicopter ending speculation some might stay and join with Urubko and Bowie after their Broad Peak attempt currently underway. But we never know for sure until everyone is back home. K2 – OVER!! Mingma Gyalje Sherpa‘s Imagine Nepal team has ended their winter effort for “personal reasons” 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. tracker. 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. Their logistics organizer, Apricot Tours made a post on Instagram that: Apricot Tours on the request of team #k2winter2020 organized a helicopter rescue mission of two helicopters airlifting five members of the expedition. All five members have reached Skardu safe and sound. Two Nepali Sherpas, One Pakistani guide (Sirbaz Khan) and Liason Office will walk back to Askole in order to reach Skardu It’s unclear if it was really a “rescue” mission or they just took a helicopter instead of walking the four days it takes to reach Askole. Mingma had made a curious past last week about the conditions: K2 in winter is not like what we expected. It is extremely cold and windy. Our sleeping bags are frozen, clothes are not dried. The weather has been difficult this winter, but that is no surprise. the team had stopped climbing due to temps hovering around -20F/-29C for days. Minga planned a no Os attempt, even more dangerous given the cold temps. Broad Peak – Threading a short Weather window for the Summit Looks like they will make one more attempt during a tiny weather window. Big winds are expected to return this weekend. Denis Urubko climbed to 7,650 meters before turning back due to crevasse danger. Urubko posted on Facebook: Don and I are in tent in C2. All OK. Light snow and wind. I’m cooking soup and have “delicatessens” from Mousyn our BC cook Don Bowie added a few days ago: Denis Urubko pauses just below 7000m on out first foray to Camp 3. We are back in base camp now but Denis later reached 7650m on an exploration of the upper slopes. Looks like the entire route is in for us now, all we need is a decent weather window for the final push. 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 – At C2 Alex Txikon and team are now to Camp 2 in the Western Cwm on their way to overnight at Camp 3. They are at 6457 meters/21,184 feet. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter We’re in Camp 2 ar 6457! It was tough, the wind hit us hard hile we climbed with 23kg. load each. Mingma the Ice Doc. Turned around at Nuptse’s side while Pechhumbe, Norbu, Tenzen Lama, Oscar and I pushed, jumping crevasses, toward the Valley of Silence. It’s crazy, there’s only five of us – half than on my previous attempts on winter Everest! We struggle for every meter we gain. Yet, we don’t lose hope for a summit chance. For now though, let’s see if we are able to keep fixing the route to C3 tomorrow. 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 – Injury Better, Recco Climb to Lho La Base, Now Back at EBC German alpinist Jost Kobusch, is back climbing, albeit not a lot, due to a foot injury. Yesterday, February 4, 2020, he gave this update on Facebook: Good news!🎊 The foot is significantly better than the last days! Yesterday, I took a closer look at the collapsed route and thus covered the distance that caused the pain. Although stabilized with kinesio, it was quite a strain on the foot, especially the forefoot. In the evening I applied a blood flow stimulating warming ointment. It really kicked in and did its job (so much that it hurt)!🔥 In any case it helped very well! Today it feels much better and if it stays like this, I can put weight on the foot again! 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. Jost has now been at EBC for about a month. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. Winter 2019/20 Everest At Camp 2 Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – At C1 in Cwm. K2 – Over Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – Over Broad Peak, then K2? – On BP Summit Push Denis Urubko – On Summit Push Batura Sar – Climbing at C1 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: It’s Cold Up there!!!
To state the obvious for the millionth time, climbing in the winter is cold, damn cold. Currently, the Karakorum climbers are seeing still air temps of -20F/-29C this week. Even with the best down suits, you have to be very active to stay warm and with most of the climbers doing the slow work of setting the fixed ropes or establishing camps, the chance of frostbite is large. Also, many of the folks are not using supplemental oxygen thus making them even more susceptible to the cold. Everest Txikon on Southeast Ridge – To C1 Alex Txikon and team are back to Camp 1 in the Western Cwm on their way to overnight at Camp 2. They are at 6,072 meters/19,921 feet a bit higher than the usual site at 5,943 meters/19,500 feet. He’s made zero mention of the hanging serac that stopped the Autumn 20-19 climbs. I am assuming it released and is no longer a factor. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook and Twitter Off we go, toward the Icefall and Camp 1. Greetings from C1! We crossed the Icefall carrying 20kg each and through a partially new path: the strong wind destroyed huge blocks, leaving chaos behind but less danger. Tomorrow … the wind will decide 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 – Injury Better, Recco Climb to Lho La Base, Now Back at EBC German alpinist Jost Kobusch, is back climbing, albeit not a lot, due to a foot injury. He gave this recent update on Facebook: Good news! Foot The foot is significantly better than the last days! Yesterday, I took a closer look at the collapsed route and thus covered the distance that caused the pain. Although stabilized with kinesio, it was quite a strain on the foot, especially the forefoot. In the evening I applied a blood flow stimulating warming ointment. It really kicked in and did its job (so much that it hurt)! 🔥 In any case it helped very well! Today it feels much better and if it stays like this, I can put weight on the foot again! 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. Jost has now been at EBC for about a month. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. K2 – No Os – Route to C2 In, Cold Mingma Gyalje Sherpa‘s Imagine Nepal team are working to establish high camps on their acclimatization rotations. They have established their Camp 2 at the base of House’s Chimney at 6,600 meters. Normally C2 is at the top of House’s Chimney around 22,110’/6700m. This is not all that unusual since climbing the Chimney takes a toll and if they were running out of light, water, energy, etc. it was a good choice to retreat. tracker. Snorri recently posted: I’m back in BC. We manage to fix lines up to 6.600 meters yesterday. According to the wether forecast the wether is bad in the mountain until the 8th of February. We have certain plan of course for our K2 winter expedition, but the force of nature will have the last saying. But still the mother nature decide to warm us up with the sun today after thouse cold days. The temperature forecast calls for highs around -20F/-29C this week so they are holding at base camp for warmer temps. Broad Peak – Back at BC, Wating for better weather. Broad Peak First then Maybe K2 After Denis Urubko climbed to 7,650 meters before turning back due to crevasse danger. They retreated on February 4 to the tiny trekking camp of Urdukas at 4050 meters to breathe some “thick” air. Also, it’s very cold ar their BC, similar to that at K2. There is talk of the last summit attempt February 12 to 20. It is looking less likely that K2 is an option, at least for winter. Urubko posted on Facebook: Go down to rest. Hope for a stable window of good weather Don Bowie added: Denis Urubko pauses just below 7000m on out first foray to Camp 3. We are back in base camp now but Denis later reached 7650m on an exploration of the upper slopes. Looks like the entire route is in for us now, all we need is a decent weather window for the final push. 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. Batura Sar – Climbing They have established their Camp 1 at 4800 meters. 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 will try 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 2nd, three climbers wiped three km of route in deep snow above the current Camp I located at 4800 m. a.s.l. A day later, another team consisting of Rafał Fronia, Mariusz Hatala and Kacper Kłoda left the Base in the morning. After a few hours, climbers managed to reach a height of 4800 meters. In the afternoon, the climbers carried all equipment over 300 meters higher and established the final Camp I there. “This will increase our comfort and safety while staying in CI, but above all it will reduce the distance to the pass (height 5,900 m), near which we are going to set up Camp II ”- emphasizes the expedition leader, Piotr Tomala. “If the weather is favorable, our activities in the coming days will focus on ascenting the next meters of the mountain and establishing another camp,” he adds. Truck On! Finally, with slow progress on the mountains, let’s take a look at a new 4×4 altitude record. Under the guise of “installing
2019/20 Winter Himalaya Climbs: Incident in Khumbu Icefall
Winter alpine climbing and especially in the Khumbu Icefall are notorious for objective hazards, i.e., avalanches, serac releases, and falls into open crevasses or through soft snow bridges. Today we saw more evidence this winter. First to Simone Moro on Gasherbrum, now to Jonatan García on Everest. The problem with these snow bridge collapses is that they are tough to anticipate. In 2001, I fell through one just outside of Camp 1 in the Western Cwm on Everest. I was roped in between two teammates. In those days, there were no fixed ropes. I followed Harldur, noting his footsteps, and also, a dark depression in the snow. It crossed my mind that it might be a weak bridge since the area was heavily crevassed. Just as I prepared to take an extra-large step over what I considered to be a weakness, the entire area gave way. I was in free fall for a few meters coming to rest as the rope came taught. Harldur, in front, and Rob, behind, fell into self-arrest postures with crampons, and ice axes dug firmly into the snow to stop my fall. My feet were dangling in free air; my nose was inches from the icy wall, my pack brushed against the other side of the narrow crack. Rob came over to the edge, calling out, “Alan, are you OK?” I yelled back, “Yes, help me out of here.” I began to dig my front points into the vertical ice wall while Rob heaved on the rope. It didn’t take too long to get me out. As I sat on my pack next to the potential tomb, my emotions grew out of control. I quietly let the tears flow, knowing that if it hadn’t been for my teammates, I might have gone to the bottom of the seemingly bottomless pit. It was a day, and a lesson I’ve never forgotten. Everest Txikon on Southeast Ridge – Icefall Incident Alex Txikon and team are working to establish a safe route through the Icefall to the Western Cwm. But some days it does go as smoothly as wished. Txikon’s posted this update on Facebook: Today, Feb 2, started cheerfully, with a nice puja ceremony in BC. After lunch, Jonatan and I went to fix some ladders on a heavily crevassed spot in the Icefall. We were at work when there the ice bridge collapsed with a mighty crash … and Jonatan fell 12 meters in a crevasse. Luckily I carried my Petzl’s microtraxion in the harness and therefore I managed to get Jonatan back to the light. He is allright but with some injured ribs, so we have ordered an airlift tomorrow. Jonatan will be fine, but his departure is a great loss for the team. His team includes Spaniard Oscar Cardo, Jonatan García and Nepalese Sherpas Chhiji Nurbu Sherpa, Pechhumbe Sherpa, and Tenjen Sherpa. You can follow him on his tracker. Jost on West Ridge – Injury Recovery and Company at EBC German alpinist Jost Kobusch, is happy to have company at EBC but his injury is not healing as quickly as had hoped. He gave this recent update on Facebook: The Basque alpinist Alex Txikon arrived at the base camp two days ago. Really a very nice guy with many exciting stories! He has already climbed 12 of the 14 highest mountains in the world and has completed impressive expeditions. Since 2011 he is dedicated to winter expeditions, for which he is quite famous today. (If you are curious: https://alextxikon.com/en)🧗🏽♂️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m afraid my foot isn’t really any better. At first, I thought it was an overuse of the muscle. Unfortunately, the foot still hurts at certain angles, so for the moment it is advisable to rest it. Fortunately, February still has a few days to go 😉. 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. Jost has now been at EBC for about a month. You can track his location on this excellent map from 3D Reality Maps. K2 – No Os – Route to C2, Poor Weather Expected Mingma Gyalje Sherpa‘s Imagine Nepal team are working to establish high camps on their acclimatization rotations. They have tagged their Camp 2 at 20,796.75 ft【6.339 according to John Snorri’s tracker. Snorri posted today: I’m back in BC. We manage to fix lines up to 6.600 meters yesterday. According to the wether forecast the wether is bad in the mountain until the 8th of February. We have certain plan of course for our K2 winter expedition, but the force of nature will have the last saying. But still the mother nature decide to warm us up with the sun today after thouse cold days. Video from Broad peak From Montagna.TV, this nice video from the July 2019 Broad Peak/K2 project by Austrian Max Berger. This short video, “Climb to Fly”, describes his attempt to paraglide from the summits without supplemental oxygen. He summited Broad but the conditions were not safe to fly from the top so he descended and took flight from Camp 3 at 7,100 meters. On K2, he never summited but did fly from the shoulder of K2 near High Camp. Impressive. Winter 2019/20 Everest At 6000 meters Jost Kobusch – at EBC Alex Txikon – Reached C1 in Cwm. K2 Mingma Gyalje Sherpa – C2 established Broad Peak, then K2? Denis Urubko – Turned back at 7650m Batura Sar – Climbing Ama Dablam Zoltán Szlankó, Alex Goldfarb Gasherbrum I/II Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger – Over. Due to injury Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything