The Madison Mountaineering 2016 K2 Expedition has four climbers, two western guides, and six Nepalese Sherpas. Our neighboring Swiss K2 expedition has eight climbers, two western guides and ten Sherpas. We are very international as we have 13 climbers from 11 countries. We are working closely and well together with the Swiss expedition. We also have about 20 Pakistani high altitude porters that will carry loads to higher camps and 15 cook and camp staff between the two expeditions. The two expeditions are working together with all route fixing, camp establishment and summit bid preparations. The two expeditions plan to be on close timing of their K2 summit bids, but each expedition will be climbing separate from each other. Due to the extreme steepness of the terrain on the Abruzi route of K2, at C1, C2 and C3 space for tent sites is very limited to only six to nine safe tent locations, so the two expeditions have to be staggered at these camps so there is adequate tent availability for climbers, guides and Sherpas on the summit bid. Good cooperation and careful coordination is critical as our summit bid weather window could be unpredictable and will likely be short.

K2 Camps: We have six camps on the Abruzi route of K2 that have to be established and all with separate tents. Therefore the Madison Mountaineering expedition has almost 70 tents. The camps are Base Camp (BC), Advanced Base Camp (ABC), Camp 1 (C1) , Camp 2 (C2), Camp 3 (C3), Camp 4 (C4) and the summit.

Current progress: Our collective Sherpas have previously established the fixed ropes to 200 meters below C3 (C3 is at 7,550 metres or 24,800 ft) over the last 10 days. On July 5, 6 and 7 the collective Sherpas climbed to C2 for their second time, and attempted to complete the installation of the fixed ropes to C3 and push ahead fixing ropes to C4. However K2 had a different plan. The weather the last few days at C2 was very high winds, blowing snow and very cold. The Sherpas waited at C2 in our tents for two days then finally have to retreat back to BC on July 8, 2016, unfortunately without any progress. With the difficult weather, terrain and altitude, the Sherpas are tired and will require a rest for a few days after this attempt, to try a third attempt to push higher up K2 above C2.

Work to be completed: Currently the Sherpas still have to install the fixed ropes from 200 meters or 600 ft below C3 to the summit of K2 (which is about 4,000 ft from C3 to the summit), establishing C3 and C4 camps and stocking C3 and C4 with tents, food, fuel, O2, equipment and other supplies.

According to our current weather reports, the next possible weather window for the Sherpas and Porters to complete their work will be from July 11 to 14. Then the Sherpas will require a rest for a few days. Currently high winds are predicted high on K2 from July 13 to 15 therefore at this time, our possible summit bid window has been moved back from July 10 to 17, to July 15 to 22.

Note on O2: Climbers, guides and Sherpas (total of about 30 people) for the two expeditions will be on full O2 from C2 to K2 summit and back to C2 on summit bid. The two expeditions will requiring over 120 bottles of O2 to be in place at the respective camps of C2, C3 and C4. Each bottle weighs about eight pounds when full of O2 and a Sherpa or Porter will normally carry 4-5 full bottles up the mountain. It’s 2-3 days to C4 from BC for Sherpas and Porters with a load as they also have to carry their own food, eating and sleeping gear.

Beautiful photos taken by climber Stuart Erskine

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K2 Base Camp

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Muhammad Mohsin Khan is the Pakistani military Liaison Officer with the Madison Mountaineering 2016 K2 expedition. Mohsin is from Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan and has a wife and three kids, one girl aged eight years old, two boys ages two and four years old. He has fourteen years of air force military service and is currently an air traffic controller for military and civilian flights. All expeditions to the Northeastern region of Pakistan are required to have a military Liaison Officer with the expedition at all times, which means from the time all foreign members arrive it Pakistan to the time they all leave Pakistan. The Liaison Officers responsibilities are to check all members permits and security clearance and correct paperwork for the expedition. Each Liaison Officers are selected by Pakistani military and must be military officers with significant military and mountaineering experience and qualifications.

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Klara Kolouchoua lives in Prague, Czech Republic with her husband and two kids, one boy two years old and a girl eight years old. Klara started climbing in 2005 and has summited Aconcagua, Cho Oyu, Everest North Face, Denali West Rib, Elbrus plus various other peaks in Europe. Klara was the first Czech lady to climb Everest in 2007 and climbed with Tashi Tenzing, the grandson on Tenzing Norgay, the first summiter of Everest with Edmond Hillary. When asked why K2? She said: “it’s the right mountain at the right time of her life”.

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Takayasu Semba lives in Tokyo, Japan with his wife and one daughter aged 20. Takayasu started climbing internationally in 2013 and climbed all of the seven summits in two years and also summited Manaslu, Matterhorn, Monte Blanc, Wascarun, Peru. When asked why K2? His response was; ” the challenge and commaradery”.

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Antony Dubber, our expedition chef is from Hertfordshire, England and has been a chef for 20 years. His chef career started with three years training at a chefs college in Hertfordsire, then working in a local bakery, and working his way up the chef ladder to corporate dinning, fine dinning, restuarant work, expedition chef, contract chef work, then a private chef for some of the rich and famous. Antony has been a chef on three separate 18 month long expeditions for British Antarctic Survey in Halley, Antartica which is at 76 degrees south. He has also been a chef for Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions for four summers at Union Glacier, Antartica. He has also been the chef at Everest Base Camp for Jagged Globe Expeditions for two years. Antony was a chef on South Georgia, Sub-Antarctic Islands for the Scottish Heritage Trust for a rat and reindeer eradication project for four months and also a chef for a boutique hotel in Svalbard, Northern Norway. Antony does various contracts as a chef around the world including working as an chef on super yachts in the Mediterranean for the rich and famous and as a chef on oil rigs off the north east coast of Scotland. He is our expedition chef at K2 Base Camp for 2016.

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Rene Bergsmr lives in Amsterdam, Holland with his wife and they have no kids. Rene was initially a marathon runner and ran over 30 marathons. He started climbing thirty years ago by completing all the courses available with the Dutch climbing club. He started climbing in Europe and climbed the Matterhorn, Eiger, Monte Blanc, Jungfrau, Weisshorn and Schreckhorn. Rene began climbing Internationally in 2004 doing the seven summits, Mt. Alpamayo in Peru, Mt. Cotopaxi and Chimborazo in Ecuador and Manaslu, Lhotse, Makalu and Ama Dablam in Nepal. Rene attempted K2 and Broad Peak in 2015. He is hoping to summit K2 in 2016 and Broad Peak, G1 or G2 for 2017.

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Stuart Erskine lives in Camrose, Alberta, Canada and has three daughters ages 24, 19 and 17. He is a marathoner, ultra marathoner and adventure racer and started climbing in June 2014 by attending a climbing course on Mt. Rainier, Washington, USA. Since then, Stuart have summited all of the Seven Summits, Mt Whitney and skied to the South Pole in 22 months.

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Shinji Tamura is originally from Osaka, Japan but has lived in Zermatt, Switzerland since 1989 with his wife and their 18 year old boy and 15 year old daughter. Shinji is a international mountaineering and skiing guide and owns a travel agency in Zermatt. Shinji has summited Everest four times, Cho Oyu twice, Manaslu three times, Ama Dablam once and various other international mountains.

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Garrett Madison the company owner and expedition leader lives in Seattle and had been guiding professionally since 1999. Garrett previously guided and was guide manager for Alpine Ascents for eight years before starting his own guiding company, Madison Mountaineering company in 2014. Garrett has summited Everest seven times, K2 once, Lhotse twice, Ama Dablam three times, Vinson ten times, Aconcagua twelve times and many other international mountains. This is Garretts third time leading expeditions to K2.

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The Muslim Pakistani high altitude porters, kitchen staff and camp helpers are celebrating the end of Ramadan for 2016 with some traditional Balti singing and dancing.

We climbed from Camp 1 to Camp 2 on the Abruzzi ridge on K2, House’s Chimney was one of the most interesting parts of the climb, steep rock and ice for about 60 feet. We had some inclement weather in the afternoon, big gusts of wind and some snow, now it has calmed down, and the view was spectacular! We are all tucked into our tents and resting, everyone is doing well.

-Garrett Madison

Photos taken by Stuart Erskine

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Climbers, guides, sherpas and Pakistani high altitude porters are climbing from Camp 1 to Camp 2 on K2. Camp 1 and Advanced Base Camp are visible in the background directly below the climbers.

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Climbers getting ready to leave Camp 1 on K2 to climb to Camp 2 on July 1, 2016. Broad Peak and the Godwin Austin Glacier are in the background.

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Climbing from Camp 1 to Camp 2 on K2, July 1 2016

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Climbing from Camp 1 to Camp 2 on K2, July 1 2016

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Climbing from Camp 1 to Camp 2 on K2, July 1 2016. K2 is extremely steep and rugged with highly erratic weather.

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Climbing up the steep section of K2.

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Climbing up from the chimney section towards Camp 2 on K2.

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Two climbers make their way up through fog, wind and light snow to Camp 2. The weather is notoriously changeable on K2. Being prepared for the extremes of K2’s weather is a challenge, especially at higher altitudes.

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Camp 2 on K2. It’s way steeper than it looks. At Camp 1 and 2 you need your boots, crampons, harness and to be clipped into a fixed rope or to a tent if you want to walk around. Broad Peak, the Godwin Austin Glacier, Concordia, and the Baltoro Glacier are all in the background.