Summit Push started!

Sorry for the delay since my last post, but somewhat unbelievably we have already left on our summit attempt.

As I’ve already written, one of the major problems with K2 is the unpredictability of the weather and the days since I returned from Camp 2 have seen some fierce debate about tactics – when next to go up, how far to go, analysis of long range wind and snow forecasts, the movement of other teams, and so on.

What is clear is that the great weather we have enjoyed over the last few weeks is breaking, and the long range weather forecast is showing a bad weather front coming in around the 19/20/21 July.  How long it will last we just don’t know.

On Everest there are always weather windows late in the month (it is usually May on Everest), but here on K2 we just don’t know whether the snow and high winds we are seeing on the forecast for those dates will last until the monsoon arrives in early August.  You just cannot tell, and it would be just like this mountain to shut its doors for the season if we wait for another opening.

So the team leader has decided to press ahead with a summit attempt now, with no more acclimatisation rotations up the mountain as if we do that we could find ourselves better acclimatised but unable to move up and attempt the summit later.  On Everest I did 3 acclimatisation rotations before going for the summit so this so this is a lot more aggressive. 

We will be going up the Cesen route, and will be joining the Abruzzi Ridge at the Shoulder at 8,000 meters.  That means that, should we get as far as summit day, we will be tackling the infamous ‘Bottleneck’ under the huge serac that collapsed during the 2008 disaster, and then the 200 meter long / 80 degree angle ice passage known as ’The Traverse’ at 8,300 meters, which is usually climbed on front points in the dark.  Both those passages are historic, steep and challenging, and have been looming in my mind since I was small.

The plan is as follows:

16 July:  Leave Base Camp at 3am and move directly to Camp 2 (6,300 meters) on the Cesen and sleep the night

17 July:  Camp 2 to Camp 3 (7,000 meters) and sleep the night

18 July:  Camp 3 to Camp 4 (7,900 meters) and rest during the afternoon and leave for the summit at 9.30pm

19 July:  Climb though the night, aim to summit in the morning, and then descend as far as possible before nightfall (Camp 3, possibly Camp 2)

20 July:  Return to Base Camp

It is a tight plan and has us (in theory) going for the summit just ahead of the bad weather front.  Hopefully we’ll be well on our way down before it arrives. 

Obviously the dates could slip, or if we see the bad weather coming in earlier we might abandon the attempt and return to Base Camp.  If the latter happens we don’t know if the weather will allow another attempt, or whether we’ll simply be too exhausted as the higher up you quit, the more unlikely it is that you can descend and recover enough to try again.

It would have been nice to have a 7 day clear weather forecast but this is K2, so tough.  Hopefully it will all go to plan.

This will be my last post until I get back but I will be in Sat phone contact with Alix each day once we reach camp and she will post an update each day here on the blog.

Wish me luck!

Me and my tent the day before departure, testing equipment and packing - Broad Peak behind

Looking up at the Cesen Route at night

K2 and our camp at night