Posted: Aug 01, 2007 01:45 am EST
(K2Climb.net) News from Broad Peak has finally arrived: Günther Unterberger and Louis Rousseau reached the summit yesterday, in spite of worsening weather conditions and the late hour - the climbers topped-out at 5.00 pm, local time.

Anniversary team's second summit group

"It’s a great achievement that makes me very happy,” stated expedition leader Gerfried Goeschl, currently waiting in K2’s BC for another chance to attempt the summit. Gerfried himself had summited Broad Peak on July 20, together with the Wenzl brothers, Kilian Volken, Lukas Furtenbach and Wolfgang Kölbinger.

Günther and Louis had set off from Broad’s C3 together with team mates Ronald Newerkla and Karl Fanta. Meanwhile on K2, Gerfried and other climbers attempting the Abruzzi Spur retreated from C3 in low visibility conditions.

Gerfried Goeschl leads one of the largest expeditions in an anniversary climb on Broad Peak, first scaled by Austrian climbers. The current Austrian OeAV Broad Peak Golden Jubilee and K2 Expedition includes no less than 35 climbers, some of them also attempting K2.

The expedition officially kicked off on the "Night of the First Ascent,” a commemoratory party organized by the Broad Peak Club in Salzburg, Austria, on Saturday, June 9, 2007 – exactly 50 years after Wintersteller, Schmuck, Buhl and Diemberger bagged the first BP summit in a remarkable push without O2 or high altitude porters.

Gerfried Goeschl summited Broad Peak on July 20, together with the Wenzl brothers, Kilian Volken, Lukas Furtenbach and Wolfgang Kölbinger; then moved to K2.

Another group of climbers remained in Broad's BC, and launched a summit bid earlier this week. Günther Unterberger and Louis Rousseau topped-out on July 31.

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