K2 North: a Dream of a 2004 season, with a few “clouds”
Even on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first climb of K2, the mountain continues to live up to expectations as a mountain of no compromises and no gifts!
After 3 years when not a single climber was able to reach the summit of the mountain (the last being Jose Antonio Garces on July 22, 2001 by way of the Abruzzi Spur), the 2004 season has seen no less than 43 summits to date (all from the south side) [this was before yesterday]. An absolute record – never before have there been this many successful summits achieved in a single season, especially when one realizes that in total, including this year – there have only been 241.
It is a record for the number of Italian climbers on the summit this year: 11 total, 5 on the K2 – 2004 – 50 years later team, (all summiting without oxygen). Of these 11, Silvio Mondinelli and Karl Unterkircher were the first two Italians to summit since Hans Kammerlander did so on July 22, 2001.
All of this occurred in a year which initially presented itself as one of the worst in terms of weather, at least until the last days of July. This too would have been a record: 200 climbers and no less than 11 expeditions on the south side.
On the north side of the mountain, only two expeditions were present: the Korean, which concluded tragically with the death of three climbers, and the Italian K2-2004 team, attempting the North Corner route, which was climbed originally in 1996 by an international expedition guided by Krzysztof Wielicki, who reached the summit with two other Russians, an American and the Italians Marco Bianchi and Christian Kuntner.
Out team of 7 climbers, who announced that they were packing for a return home, due to the continuing weather problems, will make their way back with equipment which will first travel by camel and then by air
Even on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first climb of K2, the mountain continues to live up to expectations as a mountain of no compromises and no gifts!
After 3 years when not a single climber was able to reach the summit of the mountain (the last being Jose Antonio Garces on July 22, 2001 by way of the Abruzzi Spur), the 2004 season has seen no less than 43 summits to date (all from the south side) [this was before yesterday]. An absolute record – never before have there been this many successful summits achieved in a single season, especially when one realizes that in total, including this year – there have only been 241.
It is a record for the number of Italian climbers on the summit this year: 11 total, 5 on the K2 – 2004 – 50 years later team, (all summiting without oxygen). Of these 11, Silvio Mondinelli and Karl Unterkircher were the first two Italians to summit since Hans Kammerlander did so on July 22, 2001.All of this occurred in a year which initially presented itself as one of the worst in terms of weather, at least until the last days of July. This too would have been a record: 200 climbers and no less than 11 expeditions on the south side.
On the north side of the mountain, only two expeditions were present: the Korean, which concluded tragically with the death of three climbers, and the Italian K2-2004 team, attempting the North Corner route, which was climbed originally in 1996 by an international expedition guided by Krzysztof Wielicki, who reached the summit with two other Russians, an American and the Italians Marco Bianchi and Christian Kuntner.
Out team of 7 climbers, who announced that they were packing for a return home, due to the continuing weather problems, will make their way back with equipment which will first travel by camel and then by air
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