Author: garrett_madison
Our expedition has concluded, with all of our climbers making a first ascent to the summit of the previously unclimbed Nupla Khang, a 6,861 meter / 22,641 ft. virgin peak deep in the Himalayas on the border of Nepal and Tibet, near Mount Everest.
Alpine Start
We awoke in Advanced Base Camp (5,848 meters / 19,300 ft) on summit day at 1 AM on November 2nd. Our climb began around 2 AM on the Nupla glacier to access the base of the route. Once on route we made our way up steep snow and ice, climbing terrain very similar but steeper to the Lhotse face on Mount Everest. The climbing was very arduous and because of the steep slope angle on hard snow/ice. There was no room for error, nor any good opportunity to rest. We witnessed a beautiful sunrise. Mount Everest first became visible over the skyline and then the surrounding peaks lit up with morning alpenglow.
The team reached the summit ridge around 10 AM and then began fixing rope. The precarious ridge was very firm, steep and had exposed snow with a large snow cornice overhanging. We had to be very careful to stay off the snow cornice as we made our way along the winding ridge to the highest point, where the borders of Nepal & Tibet (China) meet.
First Ascent
The first of us arrived at the top around 11:30 AM. Luckily there was actually a small place to stand at the intersection of the 3 ridgelines. We were happy to stand on flat ground for the first time since beginning the climb before dawn. Once at the top, we briefly celebrated the moment and the view, then began our descent; first along the ridge and then via many rappels down to the base of the route. We were very lucky to have good weather on our summit day, with calm winds and clear skies.
What’s next?
Our team is now finished with the ‘unclimbed peak’ expedition. Some of our climbers have just arrived by helicopter in Kathmandu and are preparing to head home, while some other climbers from our team are staying in Nepal to attempt Ama Dablam, an iconic 6,812 meter / 22,349 ft. peak near Mount Everest. Ama Dablam is situated along the trekking route to Mount Everest & Everest base camp.
Currently, Sid, Josh, & Ingvild are making their way from our ‘unclimbed peak’ base camp to Ama Dablam base camp, while the rest of us have elected to helicopter from base camp back to Kathmandu, a quick and exhilarating way to exit the high Himalaya. It’s been a great expedition. I’m very thankful for our team of climbing Sherpas who helped make this ‘first ascent’ possible. It’s been a pleasure to climb with these guys this year on Mount Everest, K2, and now on Nupla Khang, and I look forward to climbing with them again on Mount Everest next spring!
Morning view of Tharke Khang, which we were the first climbers to ascend in 2017
Front pointing on the Nup la Khang summit ridge
Norwegian climber Ingvild Settemsdel at the Nup la Khang summit
A few of our climbers at the summit of Nup la Khang yesterday (11/3/18)
Flying out of the high Himalayas at over 19,000 ft. and back to Kathmandu with expert Norwegian pilot Ingmar!
Yesterday afternoon we arrived in our base camp nestled alongside the 5th of the Gokyo Lakes. We are the only people around. It’s a beautiful camp and from here we can gaze upon Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and many other high peaks.
Today we had our Puja ceremony, where we ask the mountain for safe passage. This ceremony is very important to our Sherpas. We’ve been sorting equipment and food this afternoon for our advanced base camp and summit attempt, which we hope to embark on in a couple days time.
We’ve enjoyed a restful day here in camp, and tomorrow plan to go for an acclimatization hike.
We’ve made it to Gokyo (4750 m/15,580 ft), the last village before before base camp. After leaving Khumjung, we trekked up the Gokyo Valley. This area, including the village of Machermo, is remarkably beautiful with stunning views.
Today our team went on an acclimatization hike up nearby Gokyo Ri, at 5357 m (17,575 ft). We had amazing views all around of Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, Makalu, and could see our objective the unclimbed Nup la Khang! This afternoon we will head to base camp. There we will spend a few days acclimatizing and training to prepare for our attempt of Nup la Khang.
Our Island peak team will head off today from Gokyo towards Dzongla and will spend several days making their way to Island Peak (Imja Tse). So we are saying our goodbyes to our fellow trekkers/climbers. We look forward to reuniting with them after the climbing period.
The weather has been stellar the past week for us as we’ve trekked up from Lukla towards these high Himalayan peaks. We hope it will continue. But there looks to be some high wind in the forecast. Fingers crossed for calm winds and clear skies!
The team at the top of Gokyo Ri (17,575 ft) today, beautiful views all around! Everest is behind top left.
The village of Gokyo, next to the lake, with the Nazumba glacier, Mount Everest and Lhotse behind on left side.
Close up of Everest and Lhotse from Gokyo Ri
We are enjoying our time in the Khumbu valley of Nepal, with spectacular views all around! Our Unclimbed Peak team is currently in Namche, the capital of the Khumbu, at the Panorama Lodge. We arrived yesterday in good health and good spirits! This morning we went for an acclimatization hike up to the Everest View Hotel. With the clear sky we had fantastic views of Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, and Ama Dablam. Our goal is to trek up to our base camp at the 5thlake in the Gokyo valley, past the village of Gokyo. From there we aim to climb Nup La Khang (North Peak) which sits on the border of Nepal and China. At 6861 meters (22,641 ft.), Nup La Khang is between Mount Cho Oyu and Mount Everest, and is unclimbed! We hope to make the first ascent of this virgin peak!
After climbing Nup La Khang, some of our climbers plan to head to Ama Dablam (Mothers’ Necklace), a very picturesque mountain in the Khumbu valley. We have been blessed with great weather so far and are just enjoying the scenery, views, and nice people here. Tomorrow our plan is to head to Khumjung, where we will stay for 1 night before trekking into the Gokyo valley. All is well for us as we enjoy making our way up towards the Unclimbed Peak base camp.
We’ve just concluded our journey to the least climbed of the Seven Summits, Carstensz Pyramid located on the island of Papua New Guinea. About a week ago our team assembled in Bali and completed our equipment checks. Then we flew to the easternmost province of Indonesia, Papua. We waited in the frontier town of Timika for the weather to clear so that we could fly by helicopter over the jungle to the Yellow Valley base camp nearby Carstensz Pyramid.
We were delayed by one day in Timika as frequent the rain and thunderstorms passed by. Then on the clear morning of October 16th we flew to base camp at 4,242 meters (14,000 ft). From there we went on an acclimatization hike around the valley. After lunch, we decided to climb partway up the route on Carstensz Pyramid, so that we could familiarize ourselves with the climbing. At dinner, we discussed our climbing strategy for the following day and went to bed anticipating the climb ahead!
We awoke at 4 AM and had breakfast at 4:30 AM, then departed camp at 5 AM for our ascent of Carstensz Pyramid. As we ascended the first pitches of rock the sun rose and we turned off our headlamps. Much of the route is climbing on 5th class rock up cracks, gulleys, and rock faces until reaching the ridgeline. By 9 AM we reached the cable crossing, an airy section where a large gap in the ridge exists. Climbers cross by walking along a 40 ft. cable. After that, we continued along the ridge until reaching a ‘step across’ where we hopped from one rock to the next. We then ascended the final slopes to the summit at 4,884 meters (16,117 ft). At the top, we congratulated each other and took a few team photos, then began our descent.
We rappelled much of the route and reached base camp at 3:30 PM. That evening we celebrated our success on Carstensz Pyramid. For one of our climbers, Gary Nelson, this was the successful completion of his Seven Summits quest. Gary and I climbed Mount Everest together back in 2011, so this was a special way for me to be part of his last of the Seven Summits. A few of the other climbers on the team are nearing completion of their Seven Summits as well, likely to finish in the coming months!
The following morning the weather cleared and the helicopter was able to fly to base camp and take out three of our climbers, however, that was the only flight for the day. The two remaining climbers and I waited until the following day to fly out. As we lifted off from base camp and exited the Yellow Valley we approached a thick field of clouds and fog, the pilots had to maneuver around the sky to find their way down to Timika. We were lucky as only one flight was able to get in! The weather in Papua New Guinea is often rainy and cloudy, sometimes groups have been delayed as many as 10 days waiting for the clouds and rain to let up so that they can fly out, we were lucky!
After arriving in Timika we went to our hotel and had breakfast, showered and changed, and then went to the airport to catch our flight to Bali. We have arrived in Bali and are reunited with our other climbers that were able to fly out a day before us. Tonight we are celebrating our climb and planning to take a surf lesson in the morning before saying goodbye!
Hello from the frontier town of Timika, on the island of New Guinea! Today we are in the easternmost province of Indonesia. We have registered with the local authorities and obtained permission to attempt nearby Carstensz Pyramid. If the weather is suitable for helicopters tomorrow, we will fly in the early morning to our base camp in the Yellow Valley. From there we will acclimatize to the 14,000 ft. elevation and prepare for the ascent.
Wikipedia fun fact: Did you know that New Guinea is the world’s second-largest island? The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the independent state of Papua New Guinea. The western half, referred to as Western New Guinea or West Papua or simply Papua, formerly a Dutch colony, was annexed by Indonesia in 1962.
pictured left to right: Chad, Gary, Richard, Garrett, Jim, Joel in the ‘climbers cafe’ in Timika, where past climbing teams have summit photos on display.
Today our team of climbers for Carstensz Pyramid made final preparations to fly to the Island of Papua, a 4.5-hour flight from Bali. It’s been a nice couple of days enjoying the Island of Bali, and we are excited to get things underway! We’ve conducted equipment checks, reviewed our logistics and itinerary, and are hoping for good weather once we get to Papua! Myself and our team of 5 climbers will join with our two Indonesian guides for our ascent of Carstensz Pyramid. We look forward to arriving in Timika tomorrow and preparing for our journey to the Yellow Valley base camp!
One of the Seven Summits, Carstensz Pyramid was developed by the collision between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates and the rock formation that exists today is composed of limestone that rises from the thick forest below to just over 16,000′. This mountain ascent will be a exciting adventure filled with many challenging rock formations. Along the ascent the team will push through multiple glacier fields across the mountain such as Carstensz Glacier. Upon reaching the peak the summit will typically be free of ice. The team’s rock climbing ability to ascents includes mostly 5th class terrain on fixed ropes. Stay tuned as this expedition kicks off!!
After our banner season on Mount Everest this past spring all I wanted for our K2 expedition was a safe return for everyone, and perhaps a chance at a summit attempt. After my first successful expedition to K2 in 2014, I led expeditions again in 2015 & 2016 that were unsuccessful, no climbers from any teams reached the summit those years because of inclement weather and avalanches. I had one climber seriously injured by a falling rock in 2015 (Kami Sherpa) and fortunately he made a full recovery. The spectre of K2’s wrath haunts me, for I know it can unleash destruction and death of such magnitude never before seen in the climbing community. In 2013, the year before my first trip to K2, a father and son vanished from Camp 3. The father was a well known mountain guide with a vast depth of experience, however, on K2 the stakes are elevated significantly, making Mount Everest at times seem tame. When I was on K2 in 2016, we had already made one trip to sleep at camp 3 and on our summit attempt we were preparing to climb from Camp 1 to Camp 2 when a massive avalanche came down from above. We were protected on the Abruzzi ridge, but the avalanche swept down from somewhere near Camp 4 (the shoulder) to the base of the mountain, taking with it everything that was in our Camp 3. Some of us climbed up to Camp 3 to take a look and there was only the remnants of an avalanche passing through, if our team and the other teams climbing on our schedule had been there that morning it would not have been survivable, a minimum of 60 casualties.
Pre K2
Prior to K2 this season, I was on Mount Everest and led the rope fixing effort to the summit, for all teams, and a record number of climbers ascended during the good weather window that followed. In addition to our team climbing Everest a few of us also climbed Mount Lhotse (4th highest). It couldn’t have gone better for us on Everest, and I was wondering how long my luck would hold out. Because my Sherpas had fixed the lines up to the summit of Mount Everest, I knew this would be good practice for them on K2. Upon completion of the Everest season in early June we refilled our oxygen cylinders, packed our tents, ropes, and other equipment and headed to Islamabad, Pakistan. The process for obtaining climbing permits and tourist visas to climb K2 in Pakistan is much more complicated and time consuming that for Mount Everest, we had been working on that for nearly 6 months. We assembled in Islamabad on June 20, then flew to Skardu where we traveled by jeep to the village of Askole where we began the 70 mile trek to base camp.
The Trek
During the trek to K2 base camp the weather was not good, we had a lot of rain and snow that slowed us down. Upon reaching K2 base camp (16,500’) there was 2 feet of snow on the ground and it was wet, making all of our tents, clothing and equipment wet. After being there for a couple days the sun appeared and we were able to dry out! We rebuilt our entire base camp after the snow melted to our specifications, installing a big dining tent with gas heaters, a shower tent, and toilet tents, and then went about our training before embarking on our first rotation.
K2 & Base Camp
First Death on K2
We climbed up to Advanced Base Camp (17,500’) to sleep, then climbed to Camp 1 (20,100’) on the Abruzzi ridge for 2 nights. On our way up a climber from Canada fell to his death. We saw him come right by us as we were on the steep slope below Camp 1, and we could tell that he was already gone. We learned that he was rappelling an old fixed line just below Camp 2 that broke. I’ve seen this happen before to a German mountain guide on Ama Dablam just below Camp 2, it was very sad.
At that point we had to reassess the situation, the fixed lines put in earlier by the Japanese team to Camp 2 could not be trusted. I tasked our Sherpa team to re fix the route from Camp 1 to Camp 2 with our semi static kernmantle ropes, a much stronger and more expensive alternative to the cheap polypropylene (Korean) rope that the Japanese team had used. I am very proud of what our Sherpas accomplished that next day, they were able to re fix the entire route from Camp 1 to Camp 2 with our ropes as we climbed behind them. We spent 2 nights at Camp 2 acclimatizing and climbed partway up the Black Pyramid on the good ropes that our Sherpas fixed, then descended to base camp the following day to rest and recover.
Rest in Base Camp
As we rested and recovered in base camp our Sherpas worked tirelessly carrying loads of oxygen, tents, food, ropes, and other equipment higher on the mountain, and fixing ropes to Camp 4 and above. We had 12 Nepal Sherpas who regularly work with me on Everest, and 5 Pakistan high altitude porters (HAPs) which are the Pakistan equivalent of our Nepal Sherpas, they worked together in preparing the high camps and climbing route for us.
Summit Attempt
A good weather window was forecast by our meteorologist for July 20-21, so we prepared to put ourselves in position for a summit attempt. We climbed up to ABC, Camp 1, then Camp 2. However, that night at Camp 2 the weather deteriorated and we had wind gusts all night with 2 feet of snow outside our tent in the morning! After talking by radio with our Sherpas in Camp 4 who were working on fixing lines up higher on K2, we nearly called off our attempt. We were all packed up and ready to head down from camp 2 when I called them one last time on the radio and spoke about the conditions. They said they had over 3 feet of snow (1 meter) at Camp 4 but that the weather was nice and they were going to try and continue working to fix lines toward the summit. We had a team meeting at Camp 2 just as some of us were about to begin the descent, and we decided to hold a day at Camp 2 and reassess the following morning. I’m really glad we stopped and had a team discussion and decided to wait a day because after that the weather was much better, we climbed to Camp 3 and the following day to Camp 4.
Camp 3
We had discussed where to position our Camp 3 several times before the summit attempt as myself and a few others who knew about the disappearance of the father and son team in 2013, as well as the complete loss of our Camp 3 in 2016, were worried about the safety of that slope. Sleeping on an avalanche prone slope was not something that we wanted to be doing; worrying all night about being buried alive in an avalanche, where the debris are carried off a cliff. We decided that if we positioned our Camp 3 much farther to ‘climbers left’ near the ridgeline, as opposed to the traditional location which is far out on the broad glacier slope on the northeast side of the mountain, that we would be much less exposed to a potential avalanche. As we approached Camp 3 I was relieved to see that it was indeed on the ridgeline and did not appear to be exposed to snow avalanches. As I lay in my sleeping bag before going to bed that night with John and Geoff next to me in our tent, I would be lying if I said we weren’t all a little nervous. However, the next morning we were in good spirits as we climbed up to Camp 4.
To the Summit
That night we woke up and departed Camp 4 (25,500’), our high camp, at 9 PM in a blizzard. We were in a cloud and it was snowing and wind gusting, but with our headlamps on we could see the route and we climbed up to the shoulder, within an hour we were above the cloud and it was a starry night! We could see K2 in the moonlight, as well as neighboring Broad Peak with climbers headlamps heading up from high camp on their summit bid. As we climbed up the shoulder of K2 we had to break trail in knee deep snow, at times it was thigh deep, we saw the Serac (ice cliff) towering high above us and blacking out the stars. While ascending the bottleneck, spindrift came down on us frequently and we had to keep our hoods up to prevent the snow from going down into our suits!
As we approached the traverse I saw one of our Sherpas (Siddhi) who I have climbed Everest and other peaks with numerous times out front breaking trail and pulling the fixed ropes out of the snow as it had been buried by the recent snowfall. After he made the ‘traverse’, a short but precarious section where a nearly 10,000’ (3,000m) drop is below, he was climbing up the steep and icy slope when a small avalanche broke off and the slope around him slid away. By the beam of my headlamp I watched and expected to see Siddhi slide away and down the ‘bottleneck’ where many unfortunate climbers have met their end on K2, but the rope and anchors held him, and he continued climbing up. After that we made our way up to the bench to take a rest break.
Above The Traverse on summit day
After 7 hours of climbing we took a break to change our oxygen cylinders, to eat and drink, and to admire the view as the sun rose over the Karakorum. It was spectacular! From here the only climbing afterward is the moderate snow slope leading to the summit. We broke trail in knee deep snow all the way to the summit of K2, it took about 3 hours and was monotonous work, but we had views all around and knew we would be successful. Once on top we savored the moment, some of us cried, others hugged, called Mom from the satellite phone, and we rejoiced in the success of our collective effort. Then we began the descent.
At the top with some of our climbing Sherpas
Death on the Descent
As we made our way quickly and efficiently from the summit to the ‘bench’ rest break, we stopped to see who might be below us. Sure enough, the Japanese team was making their way up our fixed ropes very slowly and spaced about 40 feet (12m) apart. As they ascended our lines up the steep and icy terrain they had their full body weight on the ropes, making it impossible for us to rappel our lines to descend. I was a little upset. This team had hardly contributed to our rope fixing effort and was now using our ropes and effectively blocking us from descending, it would take at least several hours for them to climb past us and we would end up sitting and waiting, using up our oxygen and getting very cold as the sun went down, this would be a bad situation.
Even if you do all the work fixing ropes on a mountain you can’t stop others from using them. On Everest, the Expedition Operators Association (EOA) has done a good job of collecting a small fee from each climber to fund the rope fixing project, where generally one or two teams takes the responsibly and is reimbursed for expenses associated in the effort such as the cost of rope, ice screws & carabiners, additional Sherpas, oxygen, etc. On K2 no EOA exists, so only by cordially asking other teams for contributions can a team taking on this effort be reimbursed. However, only my team and Dawa Sherpas team were in a realistic position to climb the mountain. The other teams arrived at base camp with the expectation that someone else would do the hard and dangerous work (and take the financial burden) of putting up the fixed ropes, and they would follow.
As we gathered at the ‘bench’ rest break we discussed what we should do. Waiting 4+ hours was out of the question. Fortunately, myself and others on our team had carried over 200m of extra rope, which we began fixing as we descended around the Japanese team. As we passed them I couldn’t believe how disorganized they were. Some of them were good climbers and looked okay on the route but some were really struggling, and I dreaded what would become of them as I continued down with my team. After passing the Japanese team we descended the ‘traverse’ and ‘bottleneck’ reaching our Camp 4 that afternoon. We packed up and continued our descent to Camp 2 arriving just before nightfall.
The next morning as we began packing up at Camp 2 for our final descent to base camp we learned by radio that not all the Japanese had returned to Camp 4 after their summit. Our Pakistan liaison officer in base camp called us and said that one of the Japanese climbers was still high on the mountain. We were not in a position to go back up, so we continued our descent to base camp arriving that afternoon for a celebration dinner. That evening we heard the news that the Japanese climber who had not returned to high camp was the last in their team coming down from the summit in the dark, and had become tangled up in the ropes on the traverse, then had fallen. Nobody would be going back up for him.
I was saddened but also frustrated by the lack of team work the Japanese team demonstrated. When I climb we don’t leave anyone behind. If someone is struggling we help them. We try to make good decisions and turn around if we are too tired to continue up to the summit and down in good style. Unfortunately, this is not the mentality of many teams I encounter on big mountains, especially on Mount Everest and K2, where generally most of the 10+ fatalities on Mount Everest each season are preventable if only climbers made it their priority to climb together as a team, rather than as individuals where it’s every man for themselves.
Heading Home
After two days packing up in base camp we trekked out 70 miles over 4 days to Skardu, then had a big celebration dinner with all of our climbers, guides, Nepal Sherpas and Pakistan staff. It was a grand affair! I was really happy that 8 of our 10 clients made the summit, along with 3 guides (myself, Geoff Schellens, Robert Smith), as well as 10 of our Nepal Sherpas and 5 of our Pakistan HAPs. The Pakistan HAPs were very excited to have reached the summit for the first time after numerous attempts. Bashir, who is from the nearby village of Hushe, I have known for several years and he kept thanking me again and again that night. This was his 8th K2 expedition working as a high altitude porter and his first summit. Generally, teams that hire Pakistan high altitude porters only use them to carry loads to Camp 4. They are offered a chance to go for the summit, but without oxygen it’s nearly impossible. I brought enough extra oxygen for all 5 of our Pakistan HAPs (along with additional masks & regulators) for them to attempt the summit with us, and they were all successful including the youngest person from Pakistan to climb K2.
With Bashir, Pakistani high altitude porter at our celebration dinner
Back in Islamabad the ministry of Sport and the Pakistan Alpine Club had a press conference for us where we received our official summit certificates, we had a fun time giving interviews for Pakistan television networks. Promoting mountaineering (sport) as well as tourism is very important for Pakistan. The feeling was good vibes all around. As we retired to the very comfortable Serena hotel for our last night in Pakistan, we savored the feeling of having completed a successful expedition where not only all members who embarked on the summit attempt reached the top but more importantly we all returned safely. I can only hope my good luck continues a little longer!
-Garrett Madison, Expedition Leader
Our 2018 Mont Blanc team recently returned from the French Alps after having a great time climbing Western Europe’s highest peak! Our climbers met in the historic mountain village of Chamonix, France, and from there ventured into the high country, spending two nights at the Albert Premier hut to acclimatize and train in mountaineering technique. We climbed the Tête Blanche, a glaciated peak with an exposed rock scramble at the summit. After 3 days up high in the alpine zone, we descended back to Chamonix. Everyone enjoyed a restful evening and great dinner in town.
The following morning we had a leisurely start and then took the famous Aiguille du Midi tram up to the top station, and enjoyed a traditional French lunch overlooking the Alps. Donning our technical climbing gear, we roped up for the descent out of the ‘ice tunnel’ from the station. Slowly we climbed down the very exposed snow arête. The slopes drop away on either side, down to the glacier below. From here we traversed the glacier to the Cosmiques refuge, a climbers hut perched on the edge the cliff overlooking Mont Blanc, and the Chamonix valley far below. After we discussed our plan for the summit attempt and enjoyed a nice dinner, we hit the sack in preparation for an early alpine start!
We awoke just after midnight, had a quick breakfast in the hut then turned on our headlamps and went outside to put on our crampons & rope up. We began the climb climbing the first of the 3 peaks in the ‘tois mont’ or ‘triple summit’ route, Mont Blanc du Tacul. After switchbacking up the glaciated terrain we encountered a large crevasse with a ladder in place to cross. After this section we soon passed by Mont Blanc du Tacul and ventured towards Mont Maudit, a more challenging and higher consequence part of the climb. Climbing up Mont Maudit involved crossing some crevasses on narrow snow bridges and also using our crampons on hard ice as we ascended over the peak on onward towards the final summit, Mont Blanc.
We climbed the final snow slopes to the top of Western Europe’s highest peak and reached the summit at 9 AM! The views were phenomenal and we snapped many summit photos while savoring our success. We then began the descent back down from Mont Blanc, over Mont Maudit, and Mont Blanc du Tacul back to the Cosmiques refuge for dinner. As we sipped celebratory beverages after dinner we recounted our climb of Mont Blanc and our good fortune in climbing other summits and having great weather throughout. Thanks to all of our climbers for participating in a fantastic week in the French Alps, and especially to guides Victor Saunders and Kris Erickson who helped make this a great program.
The K2 team is back in Islamabad and heading home! After our successful climb of K2 we trekked over 100 kilometers from K2 base camp to the village of Askoli, along the Baltoro glacier past the iconic Trango Towers, then drove by Jeep along the Braldu river gorge to Skardu where we spent the night and had a celebration dinner with our whole team of climbers, Pakistan staff and Nepal Sherpas. Yesterday we flew from Skardu to Islamabad.
We had a very successful expedition with 8 of our K2 clients reaching the summit on July 22nd, along with 3 mountain guides, 9 Nepal Sherpas, and 4 of our Pakistan high altitude porters. We were very fortunate to have a perfect day on top, with great views all around, and little wind at the summit.
I attribute our success to hard work, a little luck, and a lot of preparation! It’s been a great season for us in the Karakorum mountain range!
Our K2 summit celebration cake
Geoff, John, and Garrett in the tent high on K2!
