Posted: Jul 12, 2009 09:25 pm EDT
Summit push on G3 via a new route. A new line, summits and two fatalities on Nanga Parbat.

Young polar aspirant lost in Afghanistan, a new polar kiting distance record, a number of interviews and several special stories - here goes a review of the latest at ExplorersWeb.

G3/G4 Don, Bruce, Billy and Guy are at 7300m on a new route on G3 from the Cwm situated at 7000m between G4 and G3," reported David Fält from Islamabad on Saturday. "They will go for the summit at midnight today, climbing via a new line on GIII's NW flank. The forecast is looking good. Should they succeed, it would be GIII's third or fourth ascent, and only the second route ever climbed up the mountain," David said. Falt was injured in a crevasse fall and airlifted from BC earlier last week.

Nanga Parbat new route Gerfried Göschl, Louis Rousseau, Herbert Schütter, Sepp Bachmair and Hans Goger summited Nanga Parbat on Saturday via a new route, their website reported.

Korean star climber Miss Go lost on Nanga Parbat normal route Go Mi-Sun ('Ko Mi-young') has been confirmed dead after she went missing on Nanga Parbat Saturday. Details are not yet clear on what exactly caused the accident. Fellow mountaineers on the peak reported she had summited on supplementary O2; Korean media reported she fell on descent at around 6200 meters close to camp 2. With 11, 8000ers summited in a very short time, Go, 41, became known as a "dark horse" in the quest for the first female to summit all 14, 8000ers. Read ExWeb's Sunday special on the perished climber.

Austrian Wolfgang Köblinger lost on Nanga Parbat normal route From the Austrian team, Hans Wenzl, Rick and Sandy summited but Wolfgang Köblinger went missing. The climber reportedly reached the summit together with a Korean expedition around 6 pm but fell on descent. Traces in the snow indicate Wolfgang might have gone over a steep section at 8060m.

Nanga Parbat normal route more summits: Portuguese Joao Garcia summited Nanga Parbat in high wind Saturday, bagging his 13th 8000er. About 8 climbers topped-out, Joao's home team reported, including Pakistani Ali and Amin. Giuseppe Pompili and Ariano del Cin turned back, meeting Korean Miss Oh (pushing for her 12th 8000er) about one hour into their descent. The Korean lady was still going up at that point, but very slowly Pompili reported. The Kinshofer route climbers reported clear skies but hard wind, very cold conditions, and a steep climb from C2 to C3, entirely on hard ice. Joao Garcia carried ropes to C3,"he’s a true Gentleman, who had to make two trips to C3 for it,” Pompili said, adding that Korean Miss Oh told him she had used O2 only on K2 and Everest, and that she regretted it. After she’s done with the 14x8000ers, she reportedly hopes to repeat both peaks without gas.

K2: “We are about 20 climbers on K2 this year, divided between the Cesen and Abruzzi routes," reported Ecuadorian Santiago Quintero, climbing with Spaniards Martin Ramos (5, 8000ers) and Jorge Egocheaga (late Iñaki Ochoa’s regular climbing mate with 9, 8000ers summited). The three switched route to their original Abruzzi as they didn’t like conditions on the Cesen route. Field Touring Alpine’s commercial team (on Cesen), led by Fabrizio Zangrilli, reported a Japanese team of 7 climbers also on the Abruzzi route. Austrian sky-runner Christian Stangl, 43, hopes to break Benoit’ Chamoux’s 23 hours speed record on K2, according to Montagna.org and Christian's website. After a failed attempt last year, two-time Everest summiteer Dave Watson is back to K2, hoping to climb and ski down (at least, partially) the Cesen route, Minnesota Public Radio reported. Kazakh Maxut and Vassily, teaming up with Russian Serguey Bogomolov, are sharing permit with Austrian Gerlinde and David. Many climbers were pushing for C2 or C3 end last week.

Gasherbrum II According to Kairn.com, Ueli Steck summited Gasherbrum II on 9 July. Philippe Gatta, Serap Jangbu, Phil Crampton & his team (Altitude Junkies), Jagged Globe, Spanish, Bulgarian and Iranian climbers all waited for conditions to improve by end last week.

Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) Spanish veteran climber Carlos Soria is attempting Hidden Peak at 70 years old. The team also includes Marta Alejandre, Luis Carcavilla, two Colombian climbers and a separate Spanish team. Veikka Gustafsson is also on GI, the last peak on his 14x8000ers list, climbing with Kazuya Hiraide. Reportedly the first climbers up on GI’s route this year, "there’s much more snow this year than in 2008, particularly from BC to C2,” Veikka said.

Broad Peak The Arash mountaineers club of Tehran team left 500 meters of fixed rope at the starting section of Broad’s SW face. News is expected from FTA and Eelco Jansen’s international team (normal route).

Noshaq "The Tigers of Wakhan," Afiat Khan, Gurg Ali, Amrudin and Malang have departed with Jean and Simon, their two guides from Chamonix, to attempt Noshaq in Afghanistan.

Farewell to young '007' Mark Evison "In terms of resupply, my intention has always been to go unsupported - anything less would be failure." Remember ExWeb's interview with British Mark Evison? Due to lack of funds he eventually had to postpone his aspiration to become the youngest person to ski solo to the South Pole. Instead, Mark (26) went to Afghanistan. Nicknamed '007' by his brothers in arms, the young soldier sadly took a bullet and passed away on May 12.

Greenland: Riding the winds into a world record The Norwegians did it again. Hugo Rolf Hansen and Bjørn Einar Bjartnes kited their way into the record books by breaking (fellow Norwegian) Ronny Finsaas’ polar kiting distance record. On Antarctica in 2008, Ronny reported kiting a distance of 502,73 km between two camps in less than 24 hours. On Greenland, Hugo and Bjørn Einar kited 505.90 km between camps, which gives them the new record.

ExWeb interview with John Huston and Tyler Fish During the 2009 Arctic ski season John Huston and Tyler Fish became the first Americans to ski unsupported, unassisted to the North Pole. ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer caught up with both for debrief interviews.

ExWeb interview with Derek Crowe at JP Kocks fjord, North-Greenland Derek Crowe, Devon McDiarmid and Adrian Hayes reached their furthest North point, JP Kocks fjord on the Arctic Ocean on 4 July after 46 days on the Greenland Ice. Derek phoned ExplorersWeb from their tent at JP Kocks fjord, speaking to Correne Coetzer about the awesome landscape, their last miles through an icy swamp, their kites with advice to kiters, and getting ready for their next stage.

ExWeb interview with Lonnie Dupre, “I still sleep with my stove pumps” On 25 April this year Lonnie Dupre reached the North Pole for the second time. In an interview with ExWeb’s Correne Coetzer he compared his two NP expeditions.

'Baloum Gwen' Northwest Passage west to east crossing The sailboat Baloum Gwen with a mostly French crew is attempting a west to east crossing in the icy waters of the Northwest Passage. In 2008 the boat crossed this Passage from east to west. At the moment the boat and crew are anchoring in the West in Wainwright, Northern Alaska.

Mars Ocean Odyssey update: 800 days at sea "[Now] I have to worry about any eventuality, and have to be constantly on watch, by chart or by my visual perceptions of things. There are a multitude of potential risks out here for me, some imagined and some real. I have a growing desire to know God.” On 1 July Reid Stowe had been 800 days at sea with another 200 to go. The team celebrated with an extensive press release about the record voyage.

Indian Ocean Rowing Race update The four men on ‘Rowing for Prostrate’ lost their satellite tracking communication and later also their voice communication on June 26th. To everybody’s relief, the rowboat reappeared on radar last week when spotted 305 km from Mauritius by a coast guard plane on a routine flight. Tom Wigram, Billy Gammon, Mat Hampel and Pete Staples finally arrived at Grand Bay Yacht Club Mauritius after 81 days, 4 hours and one minute on the ocean reported the Woodvale team.

Diving deeper into Gulf of Aden's Cosa Nostra In the old days, solo sailors would strew thumbtacks on deck at night for a simple pirate alarm. Wrapping the ship’s rails with barbed wire and razor blades, or having Molotov cocktails ready to throw at the speedboats are other good tactics. However, leisure and adventure sailors have little to fear from Somali pirates. These guys are not poor fishermen out to get your beer and woman. Organized in traditional mob-business style Somali pirates target well researched cargo ships likely to bring out a handsome ransom. Others profiting are insurance companies and "security firms." Check out ExWeb's special on the latest in the Gulf of Aden.

Read these stories - and more! - at ExplorersWeb.com

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