The Sherpas rest after fixing the ropes on the Chogol Peak in winter.
As the wind grew stronger, the climbers on Chogory Stayed in Camp 3 all day. It's not surprising that the wind is blowing, and team leader Nima Gyalzen said it won't affect the summit plan.
Their plan is to climb to C4 today, build the road while climbing, and then return to C3 for the night, and from there to start the final ascent.
The mountaineer interviewed Sakahwat Hussain Sakhi, general manager of local outdoor equipment manufacturer Summit Karakoram. He maintained close contact with the Sherpas at base camp and in the mountains, and Sakhi explained the team's next move.
Only 6 climbers reached the top
Only 6 climbers will participate in the summit, in addition to team leader Nima Gyalzen, and the only client, Zenger, chhiring Sherpa, Dawa Sherpa, Furi Sherpa and Ningma Dorje Tamang. Two other members of the expedition will remain at the base camp.
Zenger is trying to become the first woman to reach K2 in the winter, which is her last attempt. Source: Zenger
Needless to say, as for Zenger, she has relied on Gyalzen and his expedition company to climb 5 8,000-meter peaks for the past two years. As she did in Gancheng Zhangjia, this time she also hired the entire expedition. All the Sherpas traveled from Nepal to Pakistan because of her.
Despite her inexperience and reliance on oxygen and her guide, the young Taiwanese girl endured weeks of trials in the harsh winter of karakoram. They were delayed for weeks due to various visa issues on their departure, and when the expedition arrived at Baltoro Glacier, the project seemed too ambitious. But now, in the winter of K2, she is ushering in a good weather window.
In summer, C3 is usually located on the mountain shoulder at an altitude of about 7300 meters, above the Black Pyramid black pyramid. That's a significant improvement over some of the commercial customers who tried the K2 last winter at the C3. At the time, many of them were stationed in the "lower" C3, which meant they needed an extremely long and potentially unrealistic rush to the top.
Last winter, on their way to C3, climbers were climbing the Black Pyramid. Source: Elia Saikaly
C4 is the key
If all goes according to plan, part of the team will try to get the route as high as possible today. They will then return to C3 for the night. Zenger may stay another day at C3. The use of oxygen allows climbers to further stretch back and forth on the steep Abruzzi Spur route.
Crucially, the road team will also build C4, although climbers generally don't sleep there. The C4 is generally located at 8,000 meters, at the bottom of the Boltneck bottleneck.
"It's very helpful for climbing and pulling down," Sakhi explains. "It provides a place to rest, melt the snow for water, stock up on food, and so on."
Last year, for three climbers who ventured over C3 during their second ascent, being at an altitude of 8,000 meters in a storage shelter could mean a huge difference between life and death. John Snorri, Ali Sadpara and Juan Pablo Mohr never returned. Their remains were discovered last summer by an expedition to Chogory Peak (K2), not far from C4. Valentyn Sypavin found Mohr's body and believes that if C4 set up the tent, it would at least save Mohr's life.
Locations of the remains of Ali Sadpara (bottom) and John Snorri near C4. Image source: Valentyn Sypavin
Timeline
For a final sprint, the expedition plans to begin the climb on the evening of February 24. They last all night until the next morning. The exact departure time depends on the weather.
While everyone will be using oxygen, it will be a long and difficult process, especially for those who are ahead of the road.
Sakhi told ExplorersWeb: "They want to secure their own rope, they don't want to use the old rope that's still there. The ropes fixed last summer or even last winter are no longer secure, especially in the snowy terrain up route C3 of the Abruzzi route. ”
Gelje Sherpa (currently on the south side of Zhuo'aoyou Peak, trying to open up a new commercial route, the most recent attempt to reach the top failed, but still waiting for the opportunity) is approaching the K2 bottleneck in the winter of 2021.