David Klein of Hungary, a devotee of independent, no-oxygen climbing, is well known on the 8,000m scene. However, his current partner, Ian Overton of the U.S. is less familiar. At first, we wondered whether Klein was guiding Overton on Broad Peak this summer.
In fact, the two met nearly 20 years ago while hitchhiking through Europe. Since then, they kept in touch, attempted Nanga Parbat together in the winter of 2012-13, attended each other’s weddings, and made plans to try another 8,000m together one day. That day has finally come.
Ian Overton at Base Camp on Broad Peak, with K2 in the background. Photo: Ian Overton
Overton points out that their winter attempt on Nanga Parbat was a wild adventure. A third partner suffered from frostbite, they were buried by an avalanche, and Overton eventually came down with High Altitude Cerebral Edema.
“I returned to the States, unsure if I’d ever want to try an expedition again,” he admitted. He didn’t climb for an entire year. However, as time went by, both climbers came to understand how much they had learned from the adventure. Eventually, Overton started climbing again.
When they arrived at Broad Peak’s Base Camp on May 18 this year, they found a nearly empty mountain. They felt prepared. Klein had previously attempted Broad Peak in 2000 with a large Hungarian team. He didn’t summit but became familiar with the route.
“I’m surprised at how pleasant Base Camp and the climbing are in a normal season,” Overton said. “My only other experience was a frigid winter on the Diamir Face. As bold and exciting as it was, [it] left me unsure what to expect this summer. As it turned out, it’s quite nice.”
Life in Broad Peak’s Base Camp includes all-dressed pizza. Photo: David Klein
Two teams
Klein and Overton were the first climbers on the route this year. They hired the services of Karakoram Tours Pakistan to Base Camp. On June 24, they broke trail to the beginning of the route, a steep slope to Camp 1. They were happy to be alone. “We could play alpinist for a little while, hammering in some pitons, driving in some screws, making some decisions, etc.”
“To our surprise, Ali Mirza’s team joined us in Camp 1 the next day, and we climbed together to Camp 2,” they said.
Even now, their only company is a small Czech team that has just arrived, plus the Karakoram Expedition (KE) group led by Mirza Ali, which includes 12 climbers from the Hunza Valley. However, their base camp is at the foot of nearby K2.
On their second rotation on June 30, they spent two nights in Camp 2 and left a tent and gear at Camp 3. The KE crew fixed the ropes, so Klein and Overton just helped repair some belays and shared the rest of their rope.
Mirza’s variation route
Klein and Overton confirmed Mirza’s plans to fix an alternative route above Camp 3. The climbers said the new line, which they were shown, makes a lot of sense and could significantly shorten the summit day. They are willing to collaborate with the Pakistani team on the task.
“If Mirza’s plans work out, we might not even touch the section of the summit ridge belonging to the normal route,” Klein noted. “Other than that, conditions are relatively good on the mountain. Avalanche danger is low; by the time we arrived, most of the stuff that could slide had already slid, and rockfall below Camp 1 can be avoided by an early start.”
K2 climber airlifted
The summit window has just opened, and everyone is now on the move. The Pakistani team left Base Camp today, planning to summit on Saturday, July 18. Klein and Overton, climbing with no external support or oxygen, moved their Camp 1 to the location of Camp 2. This means a longer climb on the way both up and down. Otherwise, they are sharing the same plans.
The original idea was to leave for the summit on Monday, but the weather took longer than expected to improve, and then they wanted to wait one more day for the mountain to stabilize. In addition, Klein and Overton kept busy helping with a sick climber and arranging her evacuation.
Sol Castro of Mexico had been attempting K2 but came down with AMS last week, and her condition worsened quickly. The two climbers had her brought to Broad Peak’s Base Camp to take care of her. (Ian Overton and his wife, Shaya, who is also in Base Camp, are nurses.) They also arranged her emergency evacuation. After a two-day weather delay, she was flown to the hospital yesterday.
Summit plans
Now, Klein and Overton can fully focus on the summit push. They intend to climb with the Pakistanis, but it is not clear whether they left Base Camp with them today or will start tomorrow and catch up.
After reaching Camp 2 on the first day, they’ll move to Camp 3. However, instead of pitching their tent there at their supply cache, they’ll move it to a higher point, which KE calls Camp 4.
The following morning, they’ll scout the new variation route proposed by Ali Mirza, which starts right above Camp 4. They’ll then return to the tent for a final rest before pushing to the summit that night. According to their home team, they should reach it on either July 18 or July 19.
David Klein of Hungary on Broad Peak. Photo: Ian Overton
The climbers say they have not yet seen anyone climbing or even acclimatizing on Broad Peak. This is common among K2 climbers, who take advantage of the faster fixing and easier terrain on Broad Peak to acclimatize, then move to K2, which is a couple of hours away.
