Don Bowie reports from Broad Peak: “Our 4th day on the mountain now. Denis, Lotta, and I made a single push from Base Camp to Camp 2 on the 29th. I am so proud of Lotta because it was a tough day with 1500m climbing in poor conditions and heavy packs, and she handled it like a champ. On the 30th, Denis and I pushed the route to 6,900m (essentially Camp 3), then returned to Camp 2 for the night. Yesterday (31st) Denis left early for Camp 3, and Lotta and I departed sometime after. (We hesitated because of the appearance of strong winds above us).
“After two hours of climbing, the wind and blowing snow increased dramatically. Denis reached a crevasse below 7,000m and crawled inside to shelter. Lotta and I hastily found a small platform and pitched our tent. Today (Feb 1) the storm abated. Denis managed to camp in the crevasse. I am not totally clear on what Denis did after this, but he said over the radio that this morning that he tried to climb higher but was stopped by crevasses. Lotta and I decided to stay put because big winds are forecast for the night and tomorrow, so we will retreat to Base Camp in the morning. Still, I’m happy with establishing Camp 3 on this trip up.”
Meanwhile, at Everest Base Camp, Jost Kobusch’s foot issue may be more troublesome than he initially realized. “I‘m afraid my foot isn’t any better,” he admits. “At first, I thought it was an overuse of the muscle. Unfortunately, the foot still hurts at certain angles, so for the moment it is advisable to rest it.”
