"We free-climbed the entire 1480 meters-long route, overcoming difficulties up to 7a," Oscar told ExplorersWeb. Image of a team member on the route courtesy of the expedition team/FEEC.
The new route ends 300 meters below the Cathedrals' main summit. Route's topo courtesy of the expedition team/FEEC.
"While we were on GI, we only saw one big rock falling down the route – and I happened to be right in its path," Oscar said. Image of Oscar Cadiach on K2, courtesy of Tarragona Magic Line Expedition 2004.
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Oscar Cadiach Karakorum debrief: New route on Baltoro’s Cathedrals and GI attempt
Posted: Sep 05, 2006 09:58 am EDT
(K2Climb.net) Spaniard Oscar Cadiach led the team who accomplished the first repetition on K2's Magic Line in 2004. Since then, he has dreamt of returning to the Karakorum, not to face the 8000ers, but to climb on the rocky spires. “There are so many rock faces, with so many cool routes yet to open – it is difficult to pick just one peak,” he told ExplorersWeb.
Vertical Cathedrals
Finally Oscar made up his mind this summer and led a seven-member team on his chosen peak: Baltoro’s Cathedral Towers. Then he moved to GI to guide a group of clients.
“We were extremely lucky with the weather in July, which permitted us to open a route on the Cathedral Tower," Oscar told ExplorersWeb. "We free-climbed the entire 1480 meters-long route. Our itinerary was divided into three sections, including difficulties up to 7a, most of all on the upper pitches."
Night Reflexes
“The route ends up on a foresummit at 5600m. The weather was changing when we reached that point, so we decided not to proceed up to the main summit of the Cathedral, at 5800m. In addition, the highest point was hardly accessible from the place we were perched on."
The Cathedrals' climbing team also comprised Antonio Bayonas, Toti Valés, Elías Coll, Pilar Rossinyol, Ramon Cañellas, and Albert Segura. They worked on different sections of the route, and in order to free-climb all the pitches, they set three camps on the way up. The resulting route has been named 'Reflexes Nocturns', referring to the moonlight's reflection on the granite walls.
Much work for no summit on GI
“Then team member Toti and I moved on to GI, where we met a group of clients. We were the first to reach the mountain and fixed all the way up the Japanese Couloir. Afterwards some other climbers joined us. Sadly, the weather turned for the worse the day before our planned summit bid. We waited all we could, but our climbing permit expired before we had a chance to reach the top.”
A close call
“Anyway, I feel happy to be safely back, most of all after a close call on GI. While we were there, we only saw one big rock falling down the route – and I happened to be right in its path. The chunk of stone fell past me, just inches away. Had it hit me, it would have literally cut me in two pieces."
"I felt like I had just been re-born!”
Oscar Cadiach has taken part in 5 expeditions to Everest, reaching the summit twice (once from each side). Cadiach has also climbed Nanga Parbat, Shisha Pangma, Makalu and Lhotse. He opened the route 'Free Tibet' on Cho Oyu and did a new route on Broad Peak central.
Cadiach was also the leader of the "Tarragona Magic Line Expedition 2004." The Catalans were the most exciting expedition during summer of 2004. The team accomplished the first repetition of K2’s Magic Line… but there was much more to it than that. They were the only ones to try a rescue party when two climbers went missing on the Abruzzi Spur route while their own climbing mates hurried home.
At midnight local time, on August 17th 2004, Jordi Corominas reached the top of K2 through the Magic Line, accomplishing the first repetition after a Polish/Slovak team in 1986. Oscar Cadiach and Manel de la Matta turned around from their camp at 8100 m on the morning of August 16. Manel fell ill in C1 at 6400, and died hours later.
The climb was awarded the Best Expedition of 2004 by ExplorersWeb.
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