Karakoram 2011: All K2 Teams Back In BC

K2 continues to be an elusive summit for climbers once again this year, turning back the first wave of mountaineers over the weekend, while others prepared for their own assaults. Yesterday we had word that two Kazakh climbers had reached Camp 4 on the mountain, and indications were that they were hoping to go to the summit, but high winds and heavy snow have forced them back down the mountain, where they hope to get another chance to complete their climb.

Maxut Zhumayev  checked in today from Base Camp, where he says that their trek up the mountain was successful in that they not only reached Camp 4, but were able to construct two tents and establish a gear cache at that location. After that, the weather turned for the worse, and Max and his companion were forced back down the mountain.

They report that a lot of snow has fallen above their high camp and that there is a risk of avalanches that will make any attempt at the summit a treacherous affair. They've now joined a host of International climbers that include Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Ralf Dujmovits in watching the weather and hoping for a window that they can take advantage of.

Max's report also says that they'll stay in BC for at least three days while they rest up from their climb up to Camp 4, which sits at about 8000 meters (26,246 ft). That would put the start of the next summit bid at Friday at the earliest. As always, Mother Nature and the mountain itself, will determine if a climb is even possible.

Karakoram 2011: K2 Turns Back First Assault, Teams Gearing Up For Another Go

While I was away in Salt Lake City attending this year's Outdoor Retailer convention (more on that later!), several of the teams on K2 were making summit bids. When we last checked in on them, they were safely into Camp 3 and preparing to go for the top on Friday. But high winds caused a delay until Saturday, and then ultimately resulted in all climbers heading down. For some, the season is now over, while others have chosen to wait and see if the Savage Mountain will give them another opportunity.

Fabrizio Zangrilli has a good write-up of the events of last week, which you can read here. He notes that the weather was good during the early part of the week, and that the teams took their time reaching the higher camps when they should have been pushing themselves a bit harder. As a result, they missed a projected weather window on the 4th, which would have given them access to the summit. Both Christian Stangl and Kinga Baranowska urged them to push to the summit, but they elected to stick to the original plan and spend an extra day on the way up. As a result, the group missed their opportunity to top out.

After this aborted attempt, the Field Touring Alpine squad, along with Stangl and Gerfried Goschl, as well as  a few other climbers have left Base Camp and are headed home. Fabrizio says that there is only one other team in BC now, and that they'll all wait another ten days or so to see if the weather will clear and give them another opportunity to summit. The forecasts are a bit varied at the moment, and the next few days don't look great, but they're hoping that something will open up later in the week.

Meanwhile, over on the North Side, the teams are preparing for their own summit bids. ExWeb reports today that Kazakh climber Maxut Zhummayev checked in from 7800 meters (25,590 ft) where they are pinned down in heavy snows and high winds. They're waiting to see if the weather clears before proceeding up, with the hopes of topping out tomorrow, although that is in jeopardy at the moment.

Finally, Gerlinde Kaltunbrunner and her teammates are back in BC on the North Side as well. She reports that they have now spent two nights at 8000 meters and have established all of their camps and set their ropes as well. They'll now rest for a few days, evaluate the weather, and decide from there if and when they can make a summit bid of their own.

The season in the Karakoram isn't quite over yet, although it is starting to look grim once again. There is still an outside chance of successful summits this year, but if not, it'll be three years since anyone has stood on top of K2. When you consider the number of people that summit Everest each year, you begin to realize just how challenging a climb this really is. Stay tuned to find out if anyone will make it this season.

Karakoram 2011: Climbers Reach Camp 3 On K2

Earlier this week we received word that a major summit push was underway on K2, as a group of climbers moved up the mountain along the Cesen Route to take advantage of good weather. That group consisted of climbers such as Alex Txikon, Fabrizio Zangrilli, Kinga Baranowska, Louis Stitzinger, Christian Stangl, and Gerfried Göschl, amongst others.

While there hasn't been a lot of updates from the climb just yet, Gerfried's home team has posted on their progress with the news this morning that the group has reached Camp 3 at 7100 meters (23,294 ft). Gerfried tells them that the weather has been good so far and that the team is feeling good and are confident about their possibilities. He also reports that at times the snow is knee-deep, slowing progress, but at other times it drops to ankle-deep, allowing them to make better time. High winds have also swept away much of the fresh snows higher on the mountain, which is giving them encouragement for what the conditions will be like when they move up closer to the summit.

Tomorrow, the plan is to make their way along the Shoulder and establish camp at 7800 meters (25,590 ft), which would put them in position to make the final summit push on Friday as expected. At the moment, it seems that the weather window may hold out, giving them a real chance of reaching the top. If they do, they'll be the first to summit K2 in three years, and it will be a personal vindication, and considerable redemption, for Stangl, after last year's controversy. Personally, I'm pulling for all of them, but would love to see Christian complete the climb.

I'll post updates as I get 'em!

Karakoram 2011: Climbers Reach Camp 3 On K2

Earlier this week we received word that a major summit push was underway on K2, as a group of climbers moved up the mountain along the Cesen Route to take advantage of good weather. That group consisted of climbers such as Alex Txikon, Fabrizio Zangrilli, Kinga Baranowska, Louis Stitzinger, Christian Stangl, and Gerfried Göschl, amongst others.

While there hasn't been a lot of updates from the climb just yet, Gerfried's home team has posted on their progress with the news this morning that the group has reached Camp 3 at 7100 meters (23,294 ft). Gerfried tells them that the weather has been good so far and that the team is feeling good and are confident about their possibilities. He also reports that at times the snow is knee-deep, slowing progress, but at other times it drops to ankle-deep, allowing them to make better time. High winds have also swept away much of the fresh snows higher on the mountain, which is giving them encouragement for what the conditions will be like when they move up closer to the summit.

Tomorrow, the plan is to make their way along the Shoulder and establish camp at 7800 meters (25,590 ft), which would put them in position to make the final summit push on Friday as expected. At the moment, it seems that the weather window may hold out, giving them a real chance of reaching the top. If they do, they'll be the first to summit K2 in three years, and it will be a personal vindication, and considerable redemption, for Stangl, after last year's controversy. Personally, I'm pulling for all of them, but would love to see Christian complete the climb.

I'll post updates as I get 'em!

Karakoram 2011: Summit Push On K2 Begins Now!

After weeks of preparations, acclimatization, and patiently waiting, it appears to be go time on K2, where several teams are preparing to head up today and begin a summit push. If they are successful, it'll be the first time that anyone has stood on top of that mountain since the tragic 2008 season, when 11 people perished on August 1st, which just so happens to also be today's date.

Fabrizio Zangrili has finally updated his blog for the first time in a month, and he notes that his team will begin moving up today. He has worked closely with Kinga Baranowska, Christian Stangl, Gerfried Goschl, Bruno Buchet and others to set the lines up to Camp 3, and they will all work together towards the summit. The plan is to set out at 2 AM local time tonight, with the hopes of topping out on Friday of this week, weather, and the mountain, permitting. They seem fairly confident about the weather window ahead, although there is a lot of snow on the higher sections of the mountain.

Joining that all-star group above will be several climbers from the Field Touring Alpine squad as well. In total, about 15 climbers will set out together later today, with the hopes that they'll reach Camp 2 tomorrow, Camp 3 on Wednesday, and Camp 4 on Thursday. If that plan comes together, they'll push to the summit on Friday.

Meanwhile, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and her team have returned to BC on the North Side of the mountain after spending some time resting and regaining strength at lower altitudes. They'll also begin an ascent today with the intent of going up to 8000 meters (26,246 ft) where they'll establish their Camp 4. Once that is accomplished, they'll evaluate their options and most likely decide if they're ready to go up to the summit, or return to BC as well. Once C4 is in place however, it is usually the launching pad to the top.

It looks like the first week of August is once again the busy time on K2. Good luck to all the climbers. We'll all be collectively holding our breaths until you get down safe.

Karakoram 2011: Summit Push On K2 Begins Now!

After weeks of preparations, acclimatization, and patiently waiting, it appears to be go time on K2, where several teams are preparing to head up today and begin a summit push. If they are successful, it'll be the first time that anyone has stood on top of that mountain since the tragic 2008 season, when 11 people perished on August 1st, which just so happens to also be today's date.

Fabrizio Zangrili has finally updated his blog for the first time in a month, and he notes that his team will begin moving up today. He has worked closely with Kinga Baranowska, Christian Stangl, Gerfried Goschl, Bruno Buchet and others to set the lines up to Camp 3, and they will all work together towards the summit. The plan is to set out at 2 AM local time tonight, with the hopes of topping out on Friday of this week, weather, and the mountain, permitting. They seem fairly confident about the weather window ahead, although there is a lot of snow on the higher sections of the mountain.

Joining that all-star group above will be several climbers from the Field Touring Alpine squad as well. In total, about 15 climbers will set out together later today, with the hopes that they'll reach Camp 2 tomorrow, Camp 3 on Wednesday, and Camp 4 on Thursday. If that plan comes together, they'll push to the summit on Friday.

Meanwhile, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and her team have returned to BC on the North Side of the mountain after spending some time resting and regaining strength at lower altitudes. They'll also begin an ascent today with the intent of going up to 8000 meters (26,246 ft) where they'll establish their Camp 4. Once that is accomplished, they'll evaluate their options and most likely decide if they're ready to go up to the summit, or return to BC as well. Once C4 is in place however, it is usually the launching pad to the top.

It looks like the first week of August is once again the busy time on K2. Good luck to all the climbers. We'll all be collectively holding our breaths until you get down safe.

Karakoram 2011: Accident On Broad Peak

Earlier in the week we had reports of several successful summits on Broad Peak, despite the weather there not being the most advantageous for climbing. A few days later we also get word of tragedy on that mountain, as one of the climbers fell to his death while descending.

Climber Rob Springer, who is part of the Field Touring Alpine squad, posted news of the accident on his blog today. Rob is on BP to acclimatize before jumping over to K2, which is his ultimate goal this summer in the Karakoram. He reports that five members of their team were on a summit bid a few days back when Chinese climber Jeff Wai Hung Chung slipped and fell more than 500 feet before landing in a crevice. All attempts to reach the fallen climber failed, and in the end he succumbed to his injuries.

My condolences to Jeff's friends, family and teammates.

Rob also tells us that three of the climbers on the FTA team did actually summit during their bid to take advantage of the small weather window. They were Sophie Denis, Wim Smets, Andre Bredenkamp. On the way down however, they had issues of their own when one of them tore a muscle in their leg, greatly slowing their descent. As a result, it took them 27 hours to complete the round trip from High Camp to summit and back. Thanks to the combined effort of the team, they are all down safe and sound now however.

Rob believes that the weather window on Broad Peak is now closed for the season, saying that if teams didn't go up during the two-day break they had, they most likely aren't going to be able to do so now. He's getting ready to head to K2 himself, and after a bout of food poisoning, he is happy that he didn't burn too much energy on the BP climb.

As usual in the Karakoram this year, the weather will dictate who gets the opportunity to climb on any of the peaks. It's going to be dicey for the foreseeable future, and you don't want to take any chances on K2.

Karakoram 2011: Accident On Broad Peak

Earlier in the week we had reports of several successful summits on Broad Peak, despite the weather there not being the most advantageous for climbing. A few days later we also get word of tragedy on that mountain, as one of the climbers fell to his death while descending.

Climber Rob Springer, who is part of the Field Touring Alpine squad, posted news of the accident on his blog today. Rob is on BP to acclimatize before jumping over to K2, which is his ultimate goal this summer in the Karakoram. He reports that five members of their team were on a summit bid a few days back when Chinese climber Jeff Wai Hung Chung slipped and fell more than 500 feet before landing in a crevice. All attempts to reach the fallen climber failed, and in the end he succumbed to his injuries.

My condolences to Jeff's friends, family and teammates.

Rob also tells us that three of the climbers on the FTA team did actually summit during their bid to take advantage of the small weather window. They were Sophie Denis, Wim Smets, Andre Bredenkamp. On the way down however, they had issues of their own when one of them tore a muscle in their leg, greatly slowing their descent. As a result, it took them 27 hours to complete the round trip from High Camp to summit and back. Thanks to the combined effort of the team, they are all down safe and sound now however.

Rob believes that the weather window on Broad Peak is now closed for the season, saying that if teams didn't go up during the two-day break they had, they most likely aren't going to be able to do so now. He's getting ready to head to K2 himself, and after a bout of food poisoning, he is happy that he didn't burn too much energy on the BP climb.

As usual in the Karakoram this year, the weather will dictate who gets the opportunity to climb on any of the peaks. It's going to be dicey for the foreseeable future, and you don't want to take any chances on K2.

Karakoram 2011: News From K2

While there have been a number of reports from Broad Peak and the Gasherbrums over the past week or so, including news on successful summits, there hasn't been many updates from K2. The climbers on that mountain have been working hard however, as they not only build camps and fix lines, but also acclimatize for the challenging climb ahead.

According to Maxut Zhumayev, the team of international climbers that he is a part of have completed fixing their lines up to Camp 3 at 7100 meters (23,293 ft). After spending some time, and considerable energy, at altitude however, they have now returned to BC where they are getting some much deserved rest and relaxation, including singing around the campfire and drinking beer from a jar. Maxut also describes the winds at the summit as a "hurricane" and reports that they'll now take a few days rest before proceeding back up the mountain.

Similarly, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is also part of the same team, and offers some insights as well. Their weather forecast had promised them decent conditions while they were on the mountain, but they deteriorated rather quickly once they got above ABC. The winds picked up and the snow began to fall, as the temperatures dropped, making it a much harder excursion than they had anticipated. Still, it sounds as if they accomplished their goals and everyone is feeling good. Gerlinde even says that they were ready to climb back up to C3 to spend the night and begin work on the route to Camp 4, but the weather deterred them, so they went back down to rest up instead.

Once Camp 4 is established, they'll begin eying the summit. It is the final camp before they make a run at the top. Spirits are high despite the fact that the climbers have been on the expedition for more than 40 days at this point, but the weather is expected to be bad for the next few days, so they'll sit tight and wait for a window. Time may be of the essence however, as it is nearly August, and they still have a lot of work to do before a summit bid can begin. The question now is will K2 turn back all challengers once again this year?

Karakoram 2011: News From K2

While there have been a number of reports from Broad Peak and the Gasherbrums over the past week or so, including news on successful summits, there hasn't been many updates from K2. The climbers on that mountain have been working hard however, as they not only build camps and fix lines, but also acclimatize for the challenging climb ahead.

According to Maxut Zhumayev, the team of international climbers that he is a part of have completed fixing their lines up to Camp 3 at 7100 meters (23,293 ft). After spending some time, and considerable energy, at altitude however, they have now returned to BC where they are getting some much deserved rest and relaxation, including singing around the campfire and drinking beer from a jar. Maxut also describes the winds at the summit as a "hurricane" and reports that they'll now take a few days rest before proceeding back up the mountain.

Similarly, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is also part of the same team, and offers some insights as well. Their weather forecast had promised them decent conditions while they were on the mountain, but they deteriorated rather quickly once they got above ABC. The winds picked up and the snow began to fall, as the temperatures dropped, making it a much harder excursion than they had anticipated. Still, it sounds as if they accomplished their goals and everyone is feeling good. Gerlinde even says that they were ready to climb back up to C3 to spend the night and begin work on the route to Camp 4, but the weather deterred them, so they went back down to rest up instead.

Once Camp 4 is established, they'll begin eying the summit. It is the final camp before they make a run at the top. Spirits are high despite the fact that the climbers have been on the expedition for more than 40 days at this point, but the weather is expected to be bad for the next few days, so they'll sit tight and wait for a window. Time may be of the essence however, as it is nearly August, and they still have a lot of work to do before a summit bid can begin. The question now is will K2 turn back all challengers once again this year?