Posted: Jul 18, 2008 12:02 am EDT
(K2Climb.net) June 25th, Dodo and Vlado separated high up on Broad Peak; Vlado was to continue through the normal route while Dodo would attempt a variation - the two would meet at summit and descend together.

Close to the summit, shortly before dark, Dodo saw his buddy make a bivy. Vlado had no headlamp, no radio and no satellite phone.

Dodo continued up and made the summit at 9 pm. He called home June 27th from 6000 meters, reporting that he had not met with Vlado but suspected that his mate was with another team further down. Vlado never turned up.

The accident brought to mind Marek Hudak's fate; Dodo's climbing mate who vanished - possibly in a fall - on Shisha Pangma in 2007. That situation was described in ExplorersWeb "Best-of-2007" awards, granted to Kopold that year.

ExplorersWeb requested and interview with Dodo about Shisha Pangma and Broad Peak both. Two days back, Dodo's reply arrived. Here goes:

(Ed note: Dodo replies on several questions with one answer, thus the layout below.)

ExWeb:

1. On Shisha, you and Marek shared two cold bivouacs on the British route for 3 days with no sleeping bags and no tents. You stepped on the summit; but Marek fell to his death below after you guys separated below the top that day. Is this correct?
2. Why did you guys split up, and where?
3. Could the difficult ascent had made Mark weak, possibly ill with AMS even, and should you not have followed him down instead of pushing for the summit?
4. When did you learn that Marek was gone and how much time and effort did you and your team below spend to search for him?

Dodo: Marek was my very good friend and also my climbing partner. With him I made a good team and not only in Himalaya. Before Shisha Pangma we climbed together several routes in Alps and on Cho Oyu it was Mareks second attempt.

Shisha Pangma south face in alpine style was our main goal. In our second bivy in 7200m we both felt very well. Also the weather was not so bad, that´s why we made a decision - let´s go to the summit and if anything, we will meet in bivy in 7200m.

During the way up Marek was a little bit slower but otherwise without any problem. His communication was clear, his decisions were correct. He told me: "Go! I´ll be behind you." After some time I saw him descending to bivy. We were about 100m one from the other and in that time I was about 50m below the summit, maybe 15minutes to the top.

It was very hard for me to decide - up or down? In 8000m sometimes it is very hard to make a right decision! Till today I don´t know why Marek decided to go down.

Under Shisha Pangma we were trying to find him several days. Also another expedition was in BC as well as in C1 during the accident. Till today Marek's body was not found.

ExWeb: Vlado and you had climbed on G1 (which you alone topped out), and only days later summited G2 together before heading for Broad Peak. On June 24th, your website reported you guys planned to head out from BC to climb Broad Peak that evening. The next day, on June 25th, you were reportedly bivouacking 300 meters below the summit. Although you were acclimatized from the Gasherbrums, that's still a lot of altitude in one day. Where did you stay that night - did you have provisions and a tent - and how was Vlado's condition at this point?

Dodo: Now I can see from this question how people don´t really read what is written. And not only those from newspapers, internet discussions but also from mountaineering web portal! How many mistakes in one question! Unbelievable. First we climbed GII (French pillar) and after that GI (north face). Both in alpine style plus GI in 20 hours up and down from Gasherbrum La.

Ed note: on June 15, ExplorersWeb printed Vlado's report which stated:

“We have both summited Gasherbrum I - Dodo with 2 Italians (they went from C3) and I, alone, a little bit later. We climbed the north face from the saddle between GI and GII in one 16 hours-long push (up and down). Now we are back in 6450m - we are fine, with no frostbites. Dodo also climbed the French pillar of Gasherbrum II in alpine style on the 9th of June (I turned around some 300m below the summit). Tomorrow (today) we will pick up our stuff from ABC. We have to move to K2.”

In the following WIR we wrote: "First 8000+ summits of the season in Karakoram: Dodo bags GI and GII - K2 next! Only 15 days alter arriving in BC, once again Dodo Kopold showed his worth; this time by bagging the first 8000+ meter peaks this Karakoram season: GII via the French pillar on June 9 in alpine style, and Hidden Peak (G1) a few days later with Vlado Plulík in a 16 hour roundtrip push from the saddle. The two will now move to K2."

We however apologize for the later typo printed in the email and now back to the main point of the question, Broad Peak:

Dodo: We felt both well, we were perfectly acclimatized and felt strong enough after the Gasherbrums. In a period of two days of good weather we wanted to try Broad peak in one day. Fast and light, non-stop climbing just in couple (in that time BP was free of climbers, no fixed ropes, no camps, no trails in snow).

We had one ultra light tent (1kg), 2 gas cylinders, 2 stoves, 2 pots, some energy bars and drinks, 2 bottles, 2x 15m rope, 2 ice screws, 2 HMS, headlamps and personal ice gear (ice tools, poles, crampons, helmet).

We started the 24.6. in night time at 8PM. We climbed from 4900m to 7600m in 16 hours. But the conditions were bad. Deep snow and warm weather from 7000m. We decided to return to 7200 where we left our tent and our gear before (on our way up). It is a good altitude for sleeping and resting. Around this place we found some extra gas cylinders, some food and mattresses from the last years. We had a good sleep and rest.

The 25.6. we started early in the morning. Conditions were bad. A lot of snow. Under "rocky headwall" of BP we were looking for some shortcut to the summit. I found one difficult direct steep line and we decided to climb that way.

The rock was loose there and ice very thin. After 50m of my climbing Vlado told me from down, that for him it would be dangerous to continue (he didn´t have helmet). He said that he will continue the normal route and who will be first on the summit, will pay a beer.

In that time both of us were very well and with clear mind. Vlado continued in deep snow on the normal route and I was climbing in the steep rock and ice. From time to time we saw each other. Both of us were ok.

ExWeb: Two days later - on June 27, you reportedly called home from 6000 meters. The report said that you and Vlado made a summit push from 7200 meters on the 26th, in very bad conditions. The report said that the last time you two saw each other was 8 pm - is this correct?

Dodo: During our summit push Vlado forgot his headlamp in 7200m. Because the climbing went slower than we had thought, the dark came fast. Normally when the dark comes, you switch on the light and continue. For Vlado it was harder without light. Close to the summit he had to make a bivy. I saw him before the dark came making a snow cave (around 8pm).

ExWeb: Did you have radios with you? Did Vlado have a satellite phone?

Dodo: I had one satellite phone with me. Vlado didn´t have, because he said he had never climbed with radios or phones before and he didn´t want to climb with them now.

ExWeb: You called home on the 24th, the 25th, and from 6000 meters on the 27th. Why not on the summit day on the 26th or early morning 27th, considering you and Vlado had not met up on the summit as you had agreed on?

Dodo: No network for Thuraya. I was trying to contact my family but without success.

ExWeb: You reportedly said that Vlado went the normal route and probably didn't summit; while you continued up through a new variation of the route, and reached the top at about 9 pm. Is this correct, and where you at any point worried about parting from Vlado, considering what had happened with Marek?

Dodo: Vlado was one of the best mountaineers in Slovakia with many experiences. His solo non-stop climbs in Tatras, marathons and training before Baltoro express project were absolutely great. Who knows him knows, that he was an individualistic person. When he said me that he would continue the normal way I could say him only: ok.

ExWeb: When you called home, you reported that you had had to bivouac at 8000 meters on descent, without gear or a tent. You mentioned that Vlado probably was with the Byelorussians in camp 1, that you saw his tracks, but that the weather was really bad. Is this correct?

Dodo: During the descent Vlado was faster than me. He was maybe one hour before me. I saw his tracks in deep snow. Between C2 and C1 there was an icy slope. In this place I lost his tracks (but I couldn´t see mine either so I wasn´t worried). The weather in this time was windy with some clouds.

ExWeb: Did you meet with the Byelorussians on descent? Did they tell you they had seen Vlado?

Dodo: I was with Byelorussians few minutes on my descent. They are my friends from Nanga Parbat in 2007. They said me that they didn´t see Vlado but that they are not 100% sure.

ExWeb: What did you do when you didn't find Vlado in BC?

Dodo: I reached K2 BC at midnight the 27.6. The same day when I descended from 8000m. I was very tired. I thought that Vlado was maybe in C1 with my friends of maybe reached BP base camp.

ExWeb: Climbers emailed ExplorersWeb from K2 asking about Vlado, stating they had a hard time finding information. Your dispatches were only in Slovak, why didn't you ask someone to translate your report about Vlado's disappearance into English in order to quickly facilitate possible help from other mountaineers?

Dodo: I was there, I communicated with most of expeditions, I was in contact with climbers in C1 and I was searching for him too. BP BC is just opposite the route we climbed and all members of base camp could see if somebody was descending or needed some help.

ExWeb: June 27 was a Friday. Nick Rice reported that you attended a birthday-dinner with his team in K2's BC on Saturday, and then another dinner on Sunday. Meanwhile, Valeri Babanov and his team searched for Vlado on Broad Peak. Why didn't you stay on Broad Peak?

Dodo: Nick Rice is a very nice guy. He can write what he wants and how he wants it. After summiting BP I was very tired and sad. It´s not bad that my friend wanted to help me. The worst thing is to stay alone with all your thoughts inside your mind!
I was in K2 base camp because this was my BC. But I was also searching for Vlado under the wall (I was too weak to go up so soon again) and I was in contact with the climbers from BP as well.

ExWeb: The dinners were reportedly very festive with drinks and debates about where to eat in Islamabad. Is this correct and if yes, how come you were in a mood to celebrate when your friend was missing?

Dodo: Excellent tabloid! I could not believe that ExWeb put this to the news. My very good friend was lost on BP and you write this kind of things. It was normal dinner with some talk. And to add - in that time we still believed that Vlado is alive.

ExWeb: Babanov reportedly searched up to 7000 meters. Did any of the climbers in the search party see any tracks of Vlado? If not, is it possible he could have vanished much higher up than you anticipated?

Dodo: In the evening of our descent day it started to snow and it was the same next few days. All tracks vanished. I saw his tracks to C2, so he couldn´t vanish higher.

ExWeb: On Monday (June 30), you posted an email where you were critical to media reports about the situation. Who were you upset with, and why was media such a big concern to you at this time?

Dodo I was not critical to media reports but I tried to explain to those from internet forums what happened in reality. You can try read it again.

ExWeb: What was the high altitude experience of Marek and Vlado? Had they summited an 8000er before, if yes which summits did they have? Do you feel the ambitious double and triple-headers might have been too early for them?

Dodo Marek had two attempts on Cho Oyu before Shisha Pangma. His first attempt on Cho Oyu was stopped by the death of one of the members, during his second attempt (when we were there together) he reached 8000m but in was already too late. Shisha was his third 8000m attempt. Before that he climbed a lot in the Alps, Peru, Tatras,...

Vlado was one of the best mountaineers in Slovakia. He summited Mt. Everest and G1, he had attempts on Kanchenjunga (80m below the summit), Cho Oyu (7200m), GII (7800m), BP (7900m) and Shisha Pangma from the south in winter. Both of my climbing partners were very strong climbers.

ExWeb: Out of your 6 8000er summits in only 15 months, an outstanding record, you summited Cho Oyu, Shisha Pangma, Gasherbrum 2 and Broad Peak alone. Some Slovak's have reportedly doubted some of those summits. It's hard to snap pictures when you are climbing alone, but do you have summit photos or other proof to confirm any or all of these summits?

Dodo: I never climbed alone to 8000m peaks and the same refers also to the summit pushes! We climbed always together in team. Yes, it is true that in many routes that we climbed it was only me who reached the summit. What to say...

On Cho Oyu and Broad Peak I reached the summit in dark. Not because I wanted but because this was the fact. Shisha Pangma in clouds. What to do in this situation? Return because it is dangerous? For me climbing in dark, clouds or in wind is normal. Who climbed with me in winter in High Tatras knows that bad weather or dark was not the point to return. Climbing in Patagonia was a best school for this for me. Strong wind and we were 100m below the summit of Cerro Torre. Great Trango in alpine style in 8days. How many days you think it was sunny?

I was not the only one who climbed to those 8000m peaks summits in that year. There were climbers who had the chance to reach the summit in the same day (like on Cho Oyu, GII, BP, Shisha Pangma) or in days later (Shisha Pangma, Cho Oyu, BP, GII). Usually the tracks are visible few days. Once I left my ice screw on the summit (Shisha P.). But I´ll never do it again! Because it is just kind of rubbish on the summit.

Yes, I know that the summit photo is the best proof but sometimes it is not possible to do it. And I have never read that summit photo is the only possible proof! From all the summits I made I brought the most important - informations. I know to describe it, to say what was there and what was not in that date.

ExWeb: Would you say that both accidents were a sad coincidence? If yes, are there any lessons you still have learned for the future or do you feel that you could not have prevented any of them?

Dodo: Both accidents happened during the descent. Why? Because we climbed in alpine style, because we were first on the peak and on the summit in that season, because we didn´t use any fixed ropes, we didn´t make camps, we didn´t use doping (oxygen),...

This was the main goal of our team. Climb light and fast. Not with 20kg and with food for 10 days, with help of other expeditions. Just in small team. I know that it´s hard to understand for common climbers or people because alpine style climbing in Himalaya is about more then just climbing to the summit. This is a philosophy of clear and elegant style of climbing.

ExWeb: Anything else you'd like to add?

Dodo: During 15 months I was on 4 expeditions and I was trying to climb 9x8000m peaks. After all the experiences I´ve got I can say just one thing - it is a big difference between climbing to the 8000m peak just in small team, on "free" route and without fixed ropes and climbing in a big group with all that stuff and 10-15 climbers on the summit on the same day.
Alpine style was here before I was born: Kurtyka, Messner, Kukuczka and for sure Becík, Božík, Jaško, Just who climbed "Hard way" to Mt. Everest in alpine style in 1988. This proves us one thing - that it is possible.

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