Time is running out for climbers on the Karakoram 8,000’ers because of stubbornly bad conditions. Yet a few equally stubborn individuals are fighting to summit before the season ends.
GII push
Summit Karakoram, the local company outfitting 8K Expeditions and Imagine Nepal teams, reports that their climbers on Gasherbrum II have started for the top. “We are planning to reach the summit on July 27, contingent on favorable weather,” they noted. Other teams could follow.
Wind clouds over the summit of Gasherbrum II. Photo: Seven Summit Treks
Broad Peak problems
In contrast to K2, where all teams seem to be coordinating their efforts, the situation on Broad Peaks looks chaotic. Climbers have gone up and down at their own pace, sometimes in bad weather or despite contradictory forecasts. Today, nearly everyone is in Base Camp, checking weather forecasts but fully expecting to leave shortly.
But not everyone. Charles Page of Canada went up yesterday to 7,600m — about the altitude of the Broad Peak col — before turning around, according to his tracker. In previous reports, Page wrote that his goal was K2.
Litter, and no progress
Yet the weather is not the only source of tension in Base Camp. Vibeke Andrea Sefland of Norway, back from a rotation to the top of the fixed ropes, describes Camp 3 at 7,000m as a “tent graveyard” with large amounts of trash. Climbers every season share similar comments about this spot.
On July 21, after a night in Camp 3, Sefland and other climbers descended back to Base Camp. That day, they crossed paths with another small group on their way to the summit despite bad weather forecasts.
“[On the way down,] we had to wait at least an hour in C1 to let climbers come up due to the risk of kicking rocks at them…We were wondering why they are [on a] summit push. The weather forecast is bad, and there are no fixed ropes and not enough manpower to break trail.”
The Norwegian climber also noted how alarmingly fast the snow was melting. They had problems crossing a swollen glacier river and rappelled down “in waterfalls which should have been icefalls.”
The management of the ropes is also a source of conflict in Base Camp.
An anonymous climber’s text.
As posted on social media, Karakorum Expeditions is in charge of fixing the ropes on the mountain. Climbers complained to ExplorersWeb about KE’s leader Mirza Ali’s lack of transparency about how and when the ropes will be fixed to the summit. These climbers say they have offered extra money and to help carry the loads. The uncertainty remains. The frustrated climbers have asked to remain anonymous until the expedition finishes and they are safely out of the country.
Karakorum Expeditions last reported on July 20 about the rope fixing:
Season’s end
Whatever teams do, they must do it soon, as the season officially ends at the end of July. The problem in Pakistan is not the pending expiration of permits but the weather.
“Permits usually last for 60 days, so teams could remain for longer in Base Camp if they wished,” sources from Pakistan Alpine Club told ExplorersWeb.
However, the weather typically becomes more unstable by the end of July, and the monsoon’s influence makes climbing too hazardous in August. That is why high-altitude Karakoram expeditions take place in July.
Climbers head for K2 summit in bad weather at the end of July, 2023. Photo: Allie Pepper
However, changing weather patterns have not helped. As we reported yesterday, the monsoon has already caused serious flooding in northern Pakistan. It is likely that future expeditions will have to adapt to climate change by starting earlier.
