Karakoram

By mountaintravel • July 17th, 2009

1. Go Mi-Sun, 41, (also spelled ‘Ko Mi-young’ by some of the local media) lost on Nanga Parbat normal route.
South Korean climber Ko Mi-young, 41, who went missing after a fall from a cliff in the Himalayas, was found dead in a ravine according to South Korean embassy in Pakistan, Sunday – Jul 12, [...]

K2 claimed a first victim last week; highly skilled ski-mountaineer Michele Fait slipped and fell while skiing down the Cesen route.
Iran, Afghanistan and Somalia; adventure news arrived from unusual places while a historic meet was held in Nepal, a call went out for Mongolian horses, a last word was posted on Everest spring 2009 and [...]

Bad weather has been punishing climbers in Baltoro valley. Nanga images show serious avalanches on the peak and conditions on K2 are even worse than on Broad Peak according to the French climbers, currently on yet another summit push.
Last week ExWeb ran a number of interviews and climbers paid tributes to lost friends. Only [...]

For the worlds top mountaineers, the climbing season never really ends, it just shifts location. With the Himalaya behind us at last (I really mean it this time!), the focus shifts to the Karakorum, where teams have already begun to arrive in Pakistan, and are starting to filter out into the countryside, preparing for the [...]

(K2Climb.net/Madrid) The French team on Broad Peak was ready to launch a second summit bid today – heavy snow falling forced them to stay put in BC though.
Fresh from summiting Kangchenjunga, Kinga Baranowska hopes to turn GI and GII into her 7th and 8th 8000ers. Field Touring’s team members are also gearing up to attempt [...]

Posted on September 8, 2008
Even in our world, it’s not often we get invited to four memorials for young friends within only a few months. It gets to you. But then the climbs go on: for we were born explorers and that’s what we must do.
Mixing with debriefs, announcements of new climbs are arriving ExplorersWeb’s [...]

Due to Labor Day weekend, here goes a Tuesday edition wrap-up of the past week.
Muztagh Tower: Nangpa La hero Pavle Kozjek in fatal fall Slovenian Gregor Kresal was evacuated from MT BC on August 19th. On August 26, news arrived that Dejan Miskovic was trapped high up on Muztagh tower, where Slovenian Pavle Kozjek had [...]

A massive serac swept part of the Mont Blanc du Tacul trail Sunday, media reported. It is feared that 8 climbers perished on the popular climbing route.
Back home, K2 survivors have started to share details of their experiences.
K2 – Norwegian team “The climb up was ok,” reported Lars Ebbessen. “Øystein turned after the Bottleneck and [...]

Stories of survival; statistics – and useful lessons emerging already. On a mountain such as K2, climbing veterans pointed out last week; the best we can do for victims is to learn from their misfortune and respect their memory.
More lessons are taught by a cross-over explorer in a book dedicated to his daughters and subtitled [...]

Wydarzenia, które miały miejsce w pierwszych dniach sierpnia 2008 roku na K2, podobnie jak tragedia z 1986 roku na K2 i z 1996 na Evereście, zapiszą się, jako jedne z najtragiczniejszych w historii Himalaizmu. W kilkanaście dni po tragedii można postarać się przybliżyć i zrozumieć, co tak naprawdę wydarzyło się podczas tych kilku sierpniowych dni [...]

I Recommend
ExplorersWeb Week in Review Special K2 Edition
(Aug 11, 2008 ) Yesterday we ran a WIR K2 special; and here goes the second edition, wrapping up other events over the past two weeks. Pakistan has been action packed with a first ski descent of Nanga’s central Diamir face; a new route double by Babanov and [...]

Wilco and Marco left bivouac, 5 climbers descending, several going up to help.
Aug 01, 2008
(K2Climb.net) At around 11 am local time, Wilco and Marco have reportedly left their bivouac just above the serac at 8300 meters above the Bottleneck. They have been in radio contact with BC, but their location is currently unknown.
Location of Gerard [...]

Happy ending on Nanga Parbat for Karl Unterkircher’s team mates, less so for Iranian Saman Nemati. Climbers are reportedly in trouble on Shimshal Whitehorn and Spantik, nearby mountaineers are called to help if they can and are ready to.
Summits were accomplished on Broad Peak, including a new route by Babanov/Afanasiev. Gasherbrums proved a tough task, [...]

On Nanga Parbat, several rescue operations are ongoing following Karl Unterkircher’s fatal crevasse fall and Iranian summits.
Last week brought at least one more Broad Peak summit (by Joao Garcia); answers about true results on Gasherbrum 2; and details about Vlado Pulik’s fate on Broad peak. Pustelnik helped sort out the “Dos Pedros” G1/G2 climb while [...]

I Recommend …
MountEverest.net – http://www.mounteverest.net/
Karl Unterkircher feared lost on Nanga Parbat.
Jul 16, 2008 (K2Climb.net) Sad news from Nanga Parbat, where Italian Karl Unterkircher reportedly died in a crevasse fall on the Rakhiot face yesterday. Unterkircher was opening a new route together with Walter Nones and Simon Kehrer; themselves in a tough spot right now.
Nanga [...]

/oryginal – Posted on July 16, 2008 by admin/
I Recommend …
“ExWeb Broad Peak special: Interview with Piotr Pustelnik, “be very careful and stick together!“
…below a part of this interview :
ExWeb: How do you feel about the latest Annapurna climb, what is the situation right now for your mates on the Gasherbrums, and [...]

/oryginal – Posted on July 14, 2008 by admin/
A great traverse of the Gasherbrums? A new line on Broad Peak? Summit controversy on G2, K2 west face climbers’ hardcore acclimatization climb, a nasty skiing accident, Hiro’s great come-back, interview with Pustelnik – and finally a China and the Olympics must-read story – last week was [...]

/oryginal – Posted on July 12, 2008 by admin/

Himalayan Triptych Reactivated. Pakistan wrap-up: G1/G2 “an incredible achievement for Poland”…

July 09, 2008
(K2Climb.net) After summiting GII and holding for one day at 7,400 meters hoping to traverse to GIII, bad weather conditions finally forced Peter Hamor and Piotr Morawski back to BC yesterday. “Whether they will continue [...]

/oryginal – Posted on July 7, 2008 by admin/
Last week’s major stories were a K2 summit push and Vlado Plulík’s disappearance on Broad Peak. Independence Day was all about Free Speech and Democracy.

K2 update After fixing the route to camp 3 and then some, Wilco van Rooijen’s team started a summit push on K2’s [...]

/oryginal – Posted on July 6, 2008 by admin/
Himalayan Triptych Reactivated – Gasherbrum II:
Second G down for the Peters!!

Jul 06, 2008
(K2Climb.net) This morning the “dos Pedros” bagged G2, the second milestone in their ambitious Gasherbrum traverse. Currently holding in a blizzard at 7,400 meters, they plan for GIII as soon as conditions improve.
Hamor & Morawski [...]

In Pakistan last week G1 and Broad Peak had remarkable ascents and Nanga was summited as well. Over the hills; China reported that it will open Tibet but restrict Everest (for environment concerns this time), while the Lhasa torch relay turned a showdown for local political leaders who vowed to destroy the Dalai Lama – [...]

Himalayan Triptych Reactivated – G1 down for dos Pedros!.

Jun 25, 2008
Gasherbrums traverse – Himalayan Trilogy Reactivation, 2008 climbing season.
(K2Climb.net) Peter Hamor and Piotr Morawski reached the summit of Gasherbrum I (8 068m) today at 1.30 pm local time, in alpine style.
G1 down!

A few hours ago, Peter Hamor and Piotr Morawski sms’d the great news [...]

Himalayan Triptych Reactivated – Gasherbrum traverse part 1.

11:27 am CDT Jun 24, 2008
Gasherbrums traverse – Himalayan Trilogy Reactivation
Meanwhile on G1, Piotr Morawski and Peter Hamor plan to top out G1 following a bivouac 200-300 m below the top.
“Today morning they woke up late, deep snow and heavy backpacks. They bivouacked 200-300 m below the [...]

I Recommend …
MountEverest.net – http://www.mounteverest.net/
ExplorersWeb Week in Review.
Dodo Kopold bagged the first summits this season but Himalaya lost another legend: French extreme skier Jean Noel Urban was killed in a crevasse fall on Gasherbrum 1 Wednesday.
French extreme skier Jean Noel Urban lost in fatal accident on Gasherbrum 1
Setting up camps on Gasherbrum 1, on June [...]

10 expeditions to K2; 50 total to 8000+; about 25 to the spires & lower peaks – the 2008 Karakoram season is unreal and the list of expeditions is up.
Last week also offered a number of interesting post-Everest stories, while Correne brought with her extensive news updates from Greenland and the Oceans ran an interview [...]