L/R: Serguey, Vassiliy, Maxut and Gerlinde during a team leaders' meeting in K2 BC prior to the current summit push. Image courtesy of Maxut Zhumayev/A. Verkhovod (click to enlarge).
LINKS
|
K2 update, 3:00pm local time: Max, Vasso, Serguey and Gerlinde in chest-deep snow at 8,300m - all others back
Posted: Aug 04, 2009 03:51 am EST
(K2Climb.net/Madrid) "Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Maxut Zhumayev, Vassiliy Pivtsov and Serguey Bogomolov are right above the Great Serac traverse at 8,300 meters, trying to advance in chest-deep snow," Ralf Dujmovits has just reported. "All other climbers who joined the summit push earlier today, including Gerfried Göschl and Christian Stangl, are currently on their way down."
"Gerlinde and the Kazakhs are trying to traverse a little further, hoping to find better snow conditions," Ralf added. "However, it is getting late: It was 3:00pm, Pakistan time, by the time Gerlinde called."
The Kazakh/Russian trio may be considering to try again tomorrow, according to Ralf. That means they would need to spend another night above 8,000 meters. "I hope Gerlinde will make the right decision," Dujmovits wrote.
(Updated 4:20 am, CET.) While the four front-line climbers' next move is yet unconfirmed, Gerfried Göschl has just called Heike over sat-phone to report his decision to turn around: "There is too much snow, and it's getting too late in the day - by 2:30 pm I decided to retreat," he said. According to Gerfried's team, all other climbers on the mountain are heading back down as well. Further reports from Gerlinde and the Kazakhs are expected soon.
Links to K2 climbing teams
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner
Maxut Zhumayev
Fabrizio Zangrilli
Jake Meyer
Santiago Quintero
Martin Ramos
Christian Stangl
Gerfried Göschl
Louis Rousseau
Field Touring Alpine
|
