The Polish team, led by Jacek Pawel Czech, has started their approach trek to the deserted Gasherbrum massif. They have confirmed they will attempt a new route on the nearly 7,000m mountain, but have not yet decided which one.
“There are some plans, but nothing is certain at this point,” member Szymon Kita told ExplorersWeb. “We need to check the conditions first, and then we will decide which route is safe and gives the highest chances for a summit.”
Aleksandra Kita is the third member of the team.
Jacek Czech has shared a topo of the most suitable potential lines :
Potential new lines on unclimbed Gasherbrum VI are marked in blue. Red marks the route of the first attempts. Photo: Damien Gildea
The photo shows the southeast face of the mountain. The planned lines of ascent all go up a difficult mixed face leading to the right of the main summit.
This is the second time Jacek Czech has attempted Gasherbrum VI. In early July 2019, he attempted the peak, also from the south side, with Jerzy Natkanski, Jaroslaw Botor, and Dominik Malirz. After a night at 5,600m, they called the attempt off due to bad conditions on the mountain.
No other teams
On the way to the Gasherbrums, the climbers might cross paths with a few trekking groups but will otherwise have Base Camp and the surrounding peaks to themselves. They are the only known climbers in the Karakoram, where the typical climbing season ranges from the end of June to the beginning of August. However, increasing temperatures and their negative impact on conditions on big mountains may encourage teams to consider later dates.
In addition to GVI, Jacek Pawel Czech has prior experience in Pakistan. During the winter of 2015-16, he attempted a lightweight ascent of the Kinshoffer Route on Nanga Parbat with Adam Bielecki.
