One of the dreaded sections after the last camp, enroute towards K2's summit - the Bottleneck. "There were no fixed ropes there, so we climbed without" reported Nives last year. Image courtesy of Nives Meroi (click to enlarge).
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K2 summit push update: Climbers reached Bottleneck!
Posted: Jul 19, 2007 05:24 pm EDT
(K2Climb.net - story updated 7.40 pm Mountain time) SharedSummits just posted that their American team reached the Bottleneck and are continuing up. The crux of the route – the serac-threatened Bottleneck and the horribly exposed and icy Traverse to the summit slopes – is a classic of mountaineering literature. Add bottomless snow, icy rock pitches, and terrifying exposure, this is the place for K2's greatest history of trimph and tragedy.
Keep an eye on SharedSummits.com for detail!
Most climbers leave Camp 4 between 10 pm and 1 am local time for the summit. It's currently 6.30 am in Pakistan - SharedSummits left camp 5 hours ago - or at 1.30 am. C4, at anywhere from 7600 to 7900 meters on the Shoulder, is still a solid 16-22 hours from the summit. That means the guys are about 11-17 hours from the top - pending the altitude of their C4.
The Bottleneck is a 100-meter narrow couloir at 8300 meters that is 80-90 degrees. If it is windswept and cold, the ice in this couloir can create extremely challenging, sustained climbing. At least 15 of the climbers who have died on K2 lost their lives in the Bottleneck. The current climbers however reported very deep snow, which could be an aid in this situation.
5 teams - Russians, Korean men and ladies, Portuguese, one Iranian climber, Americans and Italians were sharing the few tents they have still standing on the ravaged higher camps, and moving according to a common strategy. Weather reports look good, clear and little wind. K2 however suffers a bit more wind coming from China to be added to the forecasted speeds, and the peak is also infamous for sudden local weather patterns.
Remember the climbers are pushing following several days of hard climbing in deep snow to upper camps. Imagine how incredibly tired they must be. Add to that the icy slope, the cold, wind and long hours ahead - and cross your fingers tonight.
Few summits on K2
Statistically, triumphs on K2 are few. Only since the start of the new Millenium, the peak has been left entirely without summits in 2002, 2003 and 2005 . And last year, only four people topped out - and only two of those without oxygen; Italian Nives Meroi and Romano Bennet on exactly the Abruzzi route the current teams are facing.
Check out K2 stats here
This is how Nives described the climb to ExplorersWeb:
"Well, it is a tough mountain - any route you climb. After attempting the north side, I thought the Abruzzi spur would be easier, but it is not. It includes difficult sections, it's very high, and the mountain is dangerous in itself: Avalanches and rock falls are a constant hazard. It took us 12 years and three attempts to reach the summit!"
"No guide can make things easier for their clients at the technically difficult sections – with perhaps the exception of 2004, when crowds of Sherpas and porters fixed the entire route."
"Danger always lay ahead on K2. We sadly had that confirmed to us, when four climbers died soon after we summited. I would ask the climbers to never, ever let their guard down when on K2. Not even on the easier sections, not even in good weather and in good conditions."
"Secondly, they must be completely sure about their skills, they need to have clear in their minds what are they doing and where they are going. Focusing on each step is not enough, they need to look up to the route above them. And of course, they must know when to turn around."
"Summit is not the most important goal on any mountain, but least of all on K2. Never forget the mountain will be there next year, but you may not - if you push too far beyond your limits."
Americans Chris Warner and Don Bowie returned to Broad Peak and K2 this summer after a previous attempt in 2005. The expedition was gunning for a new route on K2’s east spur - which proved too exposed to avalanches. They changed for a new line to the left of the Abruzzi, but finally settled for the Abruzzi Spur normal route.
Chris Warner, owner of Earth Treks, is emerging as one of America's top high altitude climbers. Out on his third attempt for a Broad Peak+K2 double-header, Chris has earlier summited Everest, Lhotse, Shisha Pangma, Cho Oyu, and opened new routes on Shivling and Ama Dablam. Don Bowie teamed up with Polish Piotr Pustelnik on Cho Oyu and Annapurna last year. Other climbers in the current expedition are Pasquale (PV) Scaturro, Bruce Normand, and BC manager Joel Shalowitz.
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