Posted: Jul 14, 2008 11:58 am EDT
(K2Climb.net) High winds forced K2 and Broad Peak climbers back through the weekend – except Valeri and Viktor, currently climbing above 7,000 meters on a new route on BP.

Several summit pushes are underway on the Gasherbrums, with FTA team hoping to top out GII today. Climbers report non-stop snowfall and many have postponed their attemps.

Saturday was party time in all Karakoram BCs; the porters celebrated Aga Khan’s birthday by dancing and singing around bonfires.

K2: Jet stream hitting hard

The K2’s West face French expedition logged on briefly on Friday to report the team was going up the Abruzzi Spur in a last acclimatization climb before the planned new route. The French climbers hoped to spend two nights in C2 at 7,500m. In a previous climb to Broad peak’s central summit, they slept at 7,000m – two more nights at 7500 meters should prime them well for an alpine style attempt on the 8,611 meters tall K2.

The Dutch Norit team postponed their summit push after consulting the weather forecasts. “The weather window is deteriorating very fast,” they reported on Saturday, “At the end of the week a lot of wind is expected at high altitude; the decision is thus not to go for a summit attempt.” Members Mark, who was in C2, and Roeland, who had reached C3, retreated back to BC.

Roeland also reported that Nick Rice’s C3 tent has been flattened by the wind.

“The jet-stream is hitting hard on K2’s upper slopes,” Marco Confortola chimed in yesterday. “We better wait and spend the day trekking to Gasherbrums’ BC, and visit to our friends Mario Panzeri and Daniele Nardi.”

“Porters working for the Korean and the Serbian expeditions tried to fix ropes above Camp 3, but were forced down by strong wind and deep cold,” Hugues d’Aubarede added.

Broad Peak: Valeri and Viktor above 7000m

Valeri and Viktor sent an SMS yesterday, from 7,000 meters on a new route they’re opening on Broad Peak. “We keep on climbing,” they stated.

Other BP climbers report bad conditions and more teams are now throwing the towel in. Saturday, Frenchman Serge Civera reported his team’s porters, who intended to set up C2, stayed put in C1 until conditions improved.

BP/K2 climbers - rockfall and weather send teams packing

“Mogens Jensens (who is on my climbing permit for Broad Peak) who had neglected to bring or wear a helmet while climbing, was hit in the head by rockfall and was taken to Islamabad for medical care, “ reported Nick Rice.

“Also, we saw a team of climbers from Greenland packing up and porters arriving to ferry their loads back to Askole. They have both the permits for K2 and Broad Peak, but after nearly being struck by rockfall on K2, and hearing of Mogen’s fate on Broad Peak, they decided to just pack up and go home.”

“Experience has allowed us to make the right decision, and return to BC before the wind picked up,” reported Italians Mario and Daniele from BP. Originally they had planned to go for the summit on Saturday, but later forecasts announced rapidly increasing winds.

Mauricio and Badia are in BP BC, waiting for better weather – meanwhile, they planned to walk up to K2’s ABC during the weekend to acclimatize.

Spaniard Alberto Cerain also spent the weekend acclimatizing up on K2’s Abruzzi spur route. Alberto reached C2 and even carried 50 meters of rope for the Serbian team up to 7,000m on the way to C3 – in exchange, the Serbians let him use their tent in C2.

“After the trip up on K2, I think I am ready for a summit push on Broad Peak as soon as the next weather window opens,” Alberto reported yesterday. Cerain hopes to climb BP first along with a larger Spanish group, and then move to K2 for a fast, single-push attempt on his own.

GII: Heavy snowfall on FTA's summit day

Field Touring Alpine team reported from C3 yesterday, with a plan to go for the summit earlier today.

Daniela Teixeira and Paulo departed BC Saturday for a summit push but logged on from C1 today, stating they are waiting for the skies to clear up. "It's been snowing all day long," Daniela wrote.

Weather thwarted Alex Gavan's plans as well. "We are still in Base Camp after we aborted our Saturday evening intention to start our summit push," he reported earlier today.

Gasherbrum I: Carlos Soria’s summit push is on

Spanish veteran Carlos Soria departed BC today for Hidden Peak's summit. “After taking a look at the latest weather forecast, we have decided to launch a summit push tomorrow,” Carlos reported yesterday. “We are going to C1 on Monday and, hopefully, top out on July 18-19.”

Fernando González Rubio (Colombia), also aiming for GI, is in BC after completing an acclimatization round up to C1 and C2.

Nanga Parbat: Chris Warner back in Pakistan

“This year the Shared Summits Team is off to Nanga Parbat,” Chris Warner reported. He will be teaming up with Nelson Laur, Daniel Jenkins, Annamaria Cherubin, Evan Horst, Eric Kapitulik and Ashley Gateless. The team arrived in base camp on July 11th.

Links to teams in Pakistan:

K2

French K2 west face expedition

Wilco van Rooijen's Norit K2 expedition
Gerard McDonnell's dispatches
Marco Confortola's updates
Singapore expedition
Cecilie Skog's updates
Nick Rice's dispatches
Baltoro Express expedition's website
Dodo Kopold's website
Mike Farris expedition's website
Hugues d'Aubarede

GI, GII, G3 & Broad Peak

Peter Hamor's website
Piotr Morawski's website
Pustelnik's Himalayan weblog

Broad Peak, GI & GII

Valeri Babanov

Broad Peak

Badia & Mauricio's website
Joao Garcia's blog
Serge Civera's updates
Alberto Zerain, Aitor Hayas and Juan Carlos Gonzalez's team blog
Lina Quesada's blog
Rafael Merchán's updates
Panzeri & Nardi's Mountain Freedom

Nanga Parbat

Shared Summits
Iranian Challengers

GI & GII

Alex Gavan's website
Roby Piantoni's updates
Marco Astori
Fernando González Rubio

GII

Hirotaka's blog
Field Touring's updates
Amical Alpin
Kari Kobler's team
Daniela Teixeira's dispatches

Karakorum's lower peaks & spires

Don Bowie

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