"The image here is the route to the col which they hope to reach by tomorrow early on," reports Stu from the US office of Field Touring Alpine (click to enlarge and find an even bigger pic on FTA's website).
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Latok update: more people moved into BC, great assistance from Pakistani army, climbers headed up the wall
Posted: Aug 14, 2009 11:43 am EST
(K2Climb.net) Field Touring Alpine report that more of their people arrived today at the Latok II BC at about 3pm local time.
8 HAP’s will join Fabrizio when they leave at 03.00 local time to fix some 900m of the route to the col and then as much of the more than 2400m of rope they are bringing with them by days end.
"We will be expecting an update late in the day with news of their progress. The image here is the route to the col which they hope to reach by tomorrow early on," reports Stu from the US office.
Find a link to the full report below the image. Weather reports are provided to the team by Javier Corripio and Kris Ghijselinck. Fair conditions are expected.
"Sebastian Alvaro has been instrumental in making the logistics of the rescue possible and he is back in Skardu at this time following an additional aerial reconnaissance intended both to see if they could locate Oscar as well as to give Oscar a clear sign that the rescue remains ongoing and give him a boost in morale. Sebastion (Sebas) did not see him but they have taken images to analyze back in town."
"There are many sources of information on the web but only a few that have direct contact with the rescue team and they include Peña Guara and ourselves," writes Stu.
Update from Peña Guara, Spain
Report by: Fernando J. Perez
Translated by: Mara V. Larson/Koldo Aldaz
Here the latest report from Peña Guara:
"At 10:15 am there has been contact from Álvaro Sebastián in Skardu. The news is very encouraging. Today, as expected, all the equipment and people have moved into base camp. The assistance from the Pakistani army is very good, so much so that the helicopter even stopped on the glacier to pick up the cargo left about four hours from base camp and moved it across. A good job done!"
"Sebas also confirms that there has been a flight to the mountain to 6300 meters. This flight was intended to indicate to Oscar that the effort is on and to give him an injection of morale. The possibility of seeing him is very remote, given the dimensions of the mountain meanwhile there are now photos to analyze whether something can be distinguished."
"Today is the independence of Pakistan celebration and everything is closed, so Sebastian does not know if its possible to send the photos. If possible, they will make it available to the media."
"Although there is no official confirmation, Sebas says that there must already be fixing in progress now. However there will be contact about further developments at 12pm."
"As of 12 pm, we have again contacted Sebas. Everything goes as planned and around the world all are working to arrive as soon as possible to Oscar. The next hours will be crucial, as Sebas tells us. Again he reiterates the great attitude of the pilots."
"We are also asked to maintain contact with the Spanish authorities because the Pakistanis are going to need to re-use the helicopters for evacuation of rescue teams after the operation. Now we have to arrange for medical assistance for when Oscar arrives in Skardu along with the need to maintain constant contact with the medical rescue team."
"It is confirmed that the alpinists are already working on the wall without relief in this race against the clock. We hope the good weather in the area continues to cooperate with us."
"Tomorrow at 12:30 pm we will hold a press conference to update the current information."
Pakistani Army Air Corps helicopters and mountain climbers of diverse nationalities are immersed at the moment in a desperate attempt to rescue alive a climber from the unclimbed and unfixed wall of Latok, a massive peak of 7,125 meters in the heart of the Karakorum.
The Spanish mountain climber Oscar Perez, is at approximately 6,200 m of altitude with a broken leg and an arm immobilized after suffering an accident when he tried to scale it in alpine style with his companion Alvaro Novellón. The rescue has become a fight against the clock since Oscar already has spent eight days trapped on the wall with no tent, only a small sleeping bag to sleep in, a gas canister for making water and some basic food. The rescue goes on with the uncertainty of knowing if Oscar Perez remains alive, since he does not have means to communicate with the outside world.
A group of local and American alpinists consisting of HAPs and Field Touring Alpine climbers such as expedition leader American Fabrizio Zangrilli intend to climb to where he is and help him down. A group of very skilled Spanish climbers has been dispatched from Spain, and other Spanish climbers are helping on site. Removing Oscar Perez by helicopter from the ledge or below is another, very dangerous option, contemplated by the Pakistan Army.
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