The rope-fixing team duly set off from Camp 4 (7,800m) toward the summit of K2 (8,611m) just after 10pm local time. It’s going to be a long and anxiety-filled night for friends and family.
Ballinger’s wife told Carlos Garranzo that recent high winds have swept away some of the unconsolidated snow above 8,000m. Today, the weather was excellent on the Cesen route.
If conditions permit, the lead climbers will open the route to the summit tomorrow, and that will be just the beginning. An unknown number of climbers, possibly as high as 30, will follow on July 25. Seven Summit Treks lists nine clients of various nationalities, plus five Sherpas and three Pakistani guides.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that others lower down the mountain are poised to follow, if they deem it safe enough, based on the experiences of the lead groups. Lina Quesada of Spain posted on Twitter that she will leave for Camp 1 tomorrow and try to reach the summit on July 27. Szilárd Suhajda and Dávid Klein of Hungary are currently on their way to Camp 4, which they expect to reach at about 4am local time.
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