K2: teams combine efforts for summit push 60 years after first ascent

Gripped Magazine July 25, 2014

A number of climbing parties on the Abruzzi Spur have teamed up and are making a collective effort for a summit push on July 26.

K2 is located on the border between Baltistan, in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of northern Pakistan, and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China.

The first attempt on K2 was in 1902 by Aleister Crowley and Oscar Eckenstein. They led a team of six climbers and tried to climb the northeast ridge. They failed after 68 days. It was a very bold climb when high-altitude climbing was still getting started.

The first attempt on the Abruzzi Spur was in 1909. An expedition led by the Duke of Abruzzi attempted the southeast ridge, now called The Abruzzi Spur. The ridge was the first ascent route 45 years later.

On July 31, 1954 Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni became the first climbers to stand on the 8,611-metre summit of K2.

On July 26, nearly 60 years to the day of the first ascent, the teams at high camp will make a summit bid. The forecast and conditions have created a prolonged summit window which is rare for K2. On July 27 a small amount of snow is expected.

The July 26 summit teams left Base Camp on July 22 and spent a night at Camp One, Camp Two and Camp Three. They are reported to be at Camp Four today, July 25, and be leaving for the summit at 9 p.m.. The teams reported to have teamed up are: International expedition (Adrian Hayes, Al Hancock), Chris Burke and Lhakpa Sherpa, Italian expedition (Giuseppe Pompili, Tamara Lunger, Nikolaus Gruber and Amin Baig), Czech Expedition led by Radek Jaros, Greek Duo (Alexandros Aravidis and Panagiotis Athanasiadis), Ferran Latorre, Pakistani-Italian Expedition (10 members) and Nepalese All Female Expedition.

There are two teams that will attempt the summit on July 27: Finnish Samuli Mansikka and the American team of Garrett Madison, Alan Arnette, Matthew Dupuy and Fredrick Sylvester.

Cleo Weidlich and her Sherpa are on the Cesen Route.

The highest meteorological climate monitoring station in the Baltoro area was installed on July 2, 2014. For more info see here.

In 2012, K2 had 28 climbers stand on its summit in a single day which was a record for the mountain.

More on K2 here.