Pakistan 2013: Summer Climbing Season Ends

It has been a very long and difficult climbing season in Pakistan punctuated with several tragic accidents and the brutal murders of eleven people in Base Camp on Nanga Parbat. Those events have only made an already difficult year for the mountaineering community even tougher and I'm sure many are eager to put 2013 behind them. While I was away at Outdoor Retailer last week, most of the teams that remained in the Karakoram were busy packing up their gear and making the trek back to Askole where they could catch a ride to Skardu. But not everyone had wrapped up their expeditions for the season and some were still attempting to top out. Now it seems that the season truly is finished as the last of the holdouts pull the plug on their expeditions as well.

Most of the remaining climbing attempts were taking place on Gasherbrum I and II where several teams were hoping to make late summit attempts. Amongst them was Jon Kedrowski, whose team was hoping to top out on GII sometime in the next few days. It turns out that won't be possible as warm conditions have led to unstable snow, while high winds have managed to shut off access to the upper slopes. In his latest dispatch, Jon says that he and his teammates were the only ones left on the mountain but it is too unsafe to make any more attempts, so they will now depart Gasherbrum II without summiting.

According to ExWeb a Czech team was attempting to summit GI last week but there is no word yet on whether or not they were successful. Part of the team was going up the standard route while another group were taking on a new route on the Southwest Face. Whether or not they are still on the mountain remains to be seen, but considering how late in the season we are, it seems likely that they'll be packing for home soon as well.

ExWeb also indicates that there has been some success on Pakistani mountains that aren't above 8000 meters in height as well. For instance, Rafał Sławiński and Ian Welsted managed to top out on K6, a 7040 meter (23,097 ft) peak located in the Masherbrum Range. It is the first ascent of that mountain since it was first climbed by an Austrian team back in 1970. Also, Denis Veretenin and Eugeny Bashkirtsev have managed to scale Nameless Tower, which is part of the very difficult Trango Towers, in a single 1.5 day push The Towers are high altitude rock climbing at its most difficult as they stretch some 6329 meters (20,764 ft) into the air.

That should just about wrap up the Pakistan climbing season for another summer. Once again, K2 went unclimbed this year while too many good men and women payed the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of the high places of our planet. Lets hope we don't see another year like this one for a very long time.

Video: EpicTV Interviews Dodo Kopold On Great Trango Ascent

Standing 6286 meters (20,608 ft) in height, Pakistan's Great Trango Tower is one of the most challenging climbs on the entire planet. It features a vertical drop that is unmatched by nearly any other peak and it requires numerous days on a very big wall to reach the summit. A few weeks back, Slovakian climber Dodo Kopold managed to put up a daring new route along the tower's Northwest Face. Upon his return home, he sat down with the good folks from EpicTV to discuss the expedition and share his thoughts on the climb. You'll find that interview, which includes some amazing photos from Great Trango, below.

Video: Images From Trango Towers Captured By Remote Controlled Helicopter

This past summer, photographer and filmmaker Corey Rich traveled to Pakistan to document David Lama and Peter Ortner's attempt to climb the vaunted Trango Towers as part of the Mammut 150 Peak Project. One of the pieces of gear he took with him was a remote controlled helicopter that was equipped with video cameras, which allowed him to capture the climb like never before. The video below gives us a sneak peek at what he was able to do, and while the full film of the expedition is still in post-production, I think it's safe to say that it's shaping up to be an interesting project.

On an unrelated note, I now want one of these camera-equipped RC drones for myself!

Mammut 150 Years Peak Project: Trango Tower, Pakistan (6286m / 20,623ft) - RC Helicopter Sample Footage from Corey Rich on Vimeo.

Pakistan 2012: Game Over On Trango Towers

One of the few teams still in Pakistan this summer is the Trango Air Wall squad. The four person group that consists of Liv Sansoz, Tim Emmett, Jérome Blanc-Gras and Manu Guy have been attempting to climb the Great Trango Tower, a 6286 meter (20,623 ft) granite spire and then BASE jump from the top. Updates to their website have been few and far between, although there have been status reports on their Facebook page where today we learn that they are abandoning the climb.

The news actually comes via an update by Trey Cook on the EpicTV Daily. Trey reports that he spoke directly with the team while they were still on the Tower and they said that they were successful in their climb but poor weather was preventing them from reaching their exit point. The team spent 12-14 hours scaling the Great Tower but rapidly deteriorating conditions were preventing them from actually making the jump. So, with that in mind the four climbers were preparing to descend in the usual fashion then return to Base Camp before starting the long journey home.

This is just another example of how fickle the weather has been in the Karakoram this year. Aside from a short weather window at the end of July, it has been nearly impossible for anyone to climb in the region this summer. Thankfully some of the teams were able to achieve their goals when that window opened or it would have been an awful season indeed. The question is whether or not 2012 is an anomaly or if shifting global weather patterns are giving us a glimpse of what to expect in the future as well. At this point there is no answer to that and we'll just have to wait and see how things play out next summer.

Congratulations to the Trango Air Wall team on a successful climb. It's a shame they didn't get the chance to BASE jump, but job well done none the less. Hopefully everyone will descend safely and get home in one piece.

Pakistan 2012: K2 Polish Debrief, Few Updates

The Pakistan climbing season is slowly grinding to a halt with just a few teams still active in the region. Unfortunately, there have been few updates over the past week or so as climbers continue to proceed with some major climbs.

K2 remains a focus of course with Al Hancock still on the mountain. In his last update, which came over a week ago, Al indicated that his team had been up as high as Camp 2 and that they were back in Base Camp, resting and preparing for a summit push. Since then there has been no word on the team's status and we can only assume that they may have started their ascent. For now we'll just have to wait for Al to re-emerge and fill us in on the expedition.

One climber who did successfully top out on K2 last week was Polish mountaineer Adam Bielecki who made the ascent without the use of supplemental oxygen. Adam has posted a debrief on his climb on PolishWinterHimaism.pl in which he shares some details on the climb and some great photos as well. Bielecki notes that July 31st was an unprecedented day on the mountain with 28 climbers reaching the summit. For K2 that is an unbelievably high number and gives us a good indication of how good the conditions must have been during that ascent. Thanks to ExWeb for sharing the link to Adam's debrief and be warned. If the link to the Polish website set off the malware warning in my browser. I'm not sure if the site will cause problems or not, but be aware before you head over to read the update.

Finally, the Trango Air Wall expedition should be proceeding on schedule as well, but there haven't been any updates on their progress either. The team did post the video below however which gives some insights into what they are hoping to accomplish on the climb and how the four members came together to make an attempt on the 6286 meter (20,623 ft) Great Tower which they hope to BASE jump off the top. Hopefully we'll get more news on their progress soon as well.

Pakistan 2012: Summit Bids On K2?

It was a relatively quiet weekend in terms of updates from Pakistan as most teams are now abandoning Base Camps across the region and starting the trek for home. It has been a very difficult summer there as unusual weather weather patterns have kept most climbers from reaching their summits. But not everyone is finished yet and on K2 it seems that climbers are now moving into position to take a chance at topping out on the toughest mountain of all.

Tunc Findik and climbing mate Azim Gheychisaz have started their summit push. The team climbed up to C3 yesterday and then  up to Camp 4, located at the Shoulder today. According to their brief dispatches they'll rest at 7900 meters (25,918 ft) and proceed up to the summit starting at 10:00 PM local time tonight. The weather appears to be calm (for once!) and there is optimism in the group that they could top out sometime tomorrow. Lets keep our fingers crossed that this weather window remains open.

Similarly, Peter Hamor's team reached Camp 3 yesterday as well but there have been no updates yet on their progress today. Their last dispatch indicated that they would wait until this morning to decide what their next move would be but if we have to believe that if the weather window is open that they've proceeded up as well. K2 doesn't give the climbers many opportunities so they have to take them where they come. Hopefully we'll get update on their progress as well.

Al Hancock is also on K2 but he didn't update his blog over the weekend so his current whereabouts are unknown. Considering he only just arrived on the mountain late last week it is likely that his team is still shuttling gear to their camps. But Al and his crew shifted over from Broad Peak so they should be well acclimatized. It's hard to believe that they would be a part of this summit push, unless they're making an alpine style ascent, but at this point anything is possible. Until we get an update however, we'll just have to wait to see how things are progressing.

There were no updates from the Trango Air Wall team either. They should be arriving in BC on the towers in the next day or two however so hopefully we'll get a progress report from the team as well. The team had originally planned to scale Nameless Tower and make a BASE jump from the top, but they've actually shifted their focus to the Great Trango Tower, a 6286 meter (20,623 ft) granite spire that will test their technical climbing skills to the max. They'll use the opportunity to scout Nameless Tower however with the hopes of a possible climb and jump in the future.

Stay tuned for updates. We could have K2 summits as early as tomorrow.

Pakistan 2012: Moving On

Not a whole lot has changed since our last update from Pakistan a few days ago. The teams are mostly in a holding pattern at the moment as they wait to see what the weather will give them. Some have called it quits for the season and started the long journey home, while others are simply trading one Base Camp for another.

One of those climbers who is switching peaks is Al Hancock who left Broad Peak yesterday and is now en route to K2 where he'll hope to have better luck. Al was climbing as part of the Field Touring Alpine team, who made a summit bid on BP last weekend but were turned back due to heavy snow and avalanche dangers above 7000 meters (22,965 ft). It'll take a few days for him to reach BC on K2 where he'll no doubt continue sharing his excellent dispatches once he's had the opportunity to get settled.

Speaking of the FTA team, they posted an update on their status yesterday and their weather forecasts say that there will not be another window in the near future. With that in mind and as they recover from their previous efforts, the rest of the squad will now return to Skardu and start to head home. They gave the expedition all they could but Mother Nature simply had other plans for the mountain this year.

While one expedition comes to a close another is just getting under way. I mentioned the Trango Air Wall project awhile back and it seems the team is now in Pakistan and making its way from Islamabad to Skardu. For those who don't remember, this is the group of four climbers who intend to scale Nameless Tower and BASE jump from the top. The Tower stands 6240 meters (20,472 ft) in height and features a massive 800 meter (2524 ft) wall that is amongst the most difficult high altitude climbs in the world. If successful in their bid, Liv Sansoz, Jérôme Blanc-Gras and Manu Guy, all of France, as well as Brit Tim Emmett, will be the first to BASE jump from the massive rock spire that is part of the Trango Towers.

Finally, there has been no news on K2 from either Peter Hamor or Tunc Findik. That can only lead us to believe that the weather remains bad and that the climbers are still biding their time in BC while they wait for an opportunity to shuttle more gear up the mountain. The next few weeks will be very telling on that mountain, the most difficult in the region if not the world.

Karakoram 2012: Climbing and Base Jumping Nameless Tower

The summer climbing season in the Karakoram is just starting to ramp up and we have another major expedition to keep an eye on in the weeks ahead. A team of climbers, mostly from France, has set its sights on not only climbing the 6240 meter (20,472 ft) Nameless Tower – one of the Trango Towers – but also BASE jumping from the top. They all this project the Trango Air Wall expedition and it is set to get underway next month.

The expedition, which looks to get underway around the 20th of July and last about a month, will go up the Eternal Flame route. That approach is on the Southeast Face and will require roughly three to five days to complete, all of it spent on the wall itself. The team, which consists of Liv Sansoz, Jérôme Blanc-Gras and Manu Guy, all of France, as well as Brit Tim Emmett, will attempt to free climb the face in a fast, minimalist approach. To do that they'll have to overcome a difficult 800 meter (2624 ft) sheer rock face with 30 very challenging pitches, at altitude no less.

Of course, the climb is just the first part of the expedition because when they get to the top the four men intend to make the first-ever BASE jump off the tower itself. Using wingsuits and parachutes they hope to glide safely back where they started, with impressive views of the Baltoro Glacier, the Karakoram and K2 surrounding them. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but that is one helmet cam video that I'm already looking forward to!

You can find out more about his project, although you may need to use Google Translate, at the expedition's official website.

ExWeb Lists 2012 Pakistan Climbing Expeditions

The Everest season is barely over and it is already time to look forward to Pakistan and the upcoming climbs in the Karakoram. While the summer season isn't nearly as busy as spring in the Himalaya, it will still be filled with plenty of drama and intrigue as some of the top climbers in the world take on the toughest peaks on the planet.

As usual, ExWeb has the definitive list of expeditions and they've begun updating that list to reflect the new season ahead. Most are scheduled to take place in June and July, with Gahserbrum I (8080m/26,509ft) and II (8035m/26,362ft), a well as Broad Peak (8051m/26,414ft) getting the early attention. After that, K2 (8611m/28,251ft) will take center stage with no fewer than three expeditions currently set to take on the toughest climb in the world.

Climber Sophie Denis has big plans for the months ahead. Not only is she scheduled for K2 in July, but she'll warm up on Gasherbrum I and II first. She's also stenciled in Shisha Pangma (8013m/26,289ft) for the fall as well, which seems like quite an ambitious scheduled at this point. She'll be joined on K2 by Canadian Al Hancock and a large Korean team as well.

Elsewhere, 73-year old Carlos Soria has plans to climb Kangchenjunga (8586m/28,169ft) in September as he continues his quest to nab all 14 of the 8000 meter peaks. In addition to this peak, he'll also attempt Annapurna and Dhaulagiri this year.

Interestingly enough, ExWeb also has two expeditions listed for the Trango Towers in July as well, both by Korean teams. One is listed as a "Free Climbing" expedition, which should be quite the challenge to follow. The Towers are made up of some of the most dramatic rock faces you'll find anywhere on the planet and are a difficult mix of high altitude mountaineering and technical rock climbing. The tallest, known as the Great Tower, is 6286 meters (20,623ft) in height, but features a prominence of 800 meters or about 2625ft leading to the top.

Of course we'll be following all of these and more once the Karakoram season gets into full swing. The first of these expeditions is scheduled to get underway next week, so stay tuned for updates.