They’re experienced, they’re strong, they’re just back from a 7,300m summit — and they are willing to help in the Rakaposhi rescue.
Archil Badriashvili is the leader of the Georgian expedition that completed the first ascent of Saraghrar NW two days ago. Today, he contacted ExplorersWeb through his local agent Hussein Ahmed of Terichmir Travels to share his team’s desire to help. ExplorersWeb is putting him in touch with the rescue group in Gilgit.
Badriashvili and fellow Georgians Baqar Gelashvili and Giorgi Tepnadze are currently in their Base Camp in Chitral, at the foot of the Hindu Kush — very far from Rakaposhi.
Location of Saraghrar, south of the Afghanistan border, and Rakaposhi, north of Gilgit. Credit: Google Maps
No good news from Rakaposhi today
Meanwhile, all attempts to help the stranded climbers on Rakaposhi failed today, despite several high-altitude flights by the Pakistani army pilots. It was not possible to carry out a long-line rescue, nor could they drop Abdul Joshi and Karim Hayat on the peak’s southwest ridge.
On its final flight before dark, one helicopter tried to drop a pack with ropes and food for the tentbound climbers. But bad conditions — it was snowing on the mountain — forced them back before they reached the spot. They will try again tomorrow, weather permitting.
The experienced ground rescue team of Abdul Joshi, Karim Hayat, and newcomer Eid Karim are also willing to go up as high as they can. Previously, Hayat helped rescue Polish climbers on winter Broad Peak in 2012-13. However, the threesome may not be acclimatized enough.
Stranded at 6,900m: Wajidullah Nagri of Pakistan and Jakub Vlcek and Peter Macek of the Czech Republic. Photo: Twitter
Karim Shah Nizari confirmed that stranded climber Wajidullah Nagri of Pakistan is in good condition. “Wajid was the climber that the helicopter pilot spotted walking around the tent [earlier today],” said Nizari. However, Czech climbers Jakub Vlcek and Peter Macek “are not in a good state”.
Previous reports suggested that the Czechs might have frostbite and/or AMS. Now they have to spend difficult another night on what Helias Millerioux called a “long, flat windswept shoulder” at 6,900m.
