Instead of going to Makalu with Seven Summit Treks as planned, Sajid Sadpara of Pakistan has decided to climb Everest without oxygen or personal Sherpa support with Nirmal Purja.
Sadpara didn’t mention when he will set off, but weather forecasts suggest that conditions should improve later this week.
In addition, the younger Sadpara’s Facebook page includes statements about winter K2. He is confident that his father did reach the summit in 2021 before perishing on his way down.
Winter K2
There is no evidence that Ali Sadpara or his two companions, John Snorri and Juan Pablo Mohr, summited K2 after they set off together from Camp 3 on Feb. 5, 2021. The three never made it back alive, and climbers — including Sajid — found their remains high on K2 the following summer.
Sajid managed to summit K2 and also bury his father on the way down, with the help of Hugo Ayaviri of Bolivia. Sajid Sadpara and Ayaviri believed that the position of the bodies and the way their gear was placed suggests that the threesome had summited.
Indeed, the equipment on the ropes suggests that they were descending, but there is no way to be certain whether they summited or simply turned around short of the top.
Left to right, Nirmal Purja, Ali Sadpara, and Sajid Sadpara on Winter K2. Photo shared on Facebook by Sajid Sadpara
Sajid explains that Nirmal Purja invited him to Everest. “With him, my father has had many expeditions including Nanga Parbat and Winter K2,” said Sadpara.
In fact, Purja and both Sadparas were on K2 during the fateful winter of 2020-21, but not on the same expedition. Ali and Sajid Sadpara were working with John Snorri of Iceland, and their team followed a completely separate strategy from the two Nepali teams. The Nepalis eventually decided to join forces for a surprise summit push on January 15-16, in which Sadpara had no part.
However, as Sajid noted to Samsom S. Sharaf in Pakistan, the two expeditions shared the rope fixing. The Sadparas fixed until Camp 2, while Purja’s group took over from there.
Jet stream delays summit pushes
Himalayan skies have finally cleared after the relentless snowfall of the past two weeks. But jet-stream winds have kept climbers below the highest sections on 8,000m peaks. They continue to wait impatiently for a calm, clear window.
“At Camps 3 and 4, the wind is too strong, almost 80kph, and no tents are set up there,” Asmita Dorjee wrote from Base Camp. The Indian climber is planning a no-O2 ascent.
Everest Base Camp at night. Photo: Pioneer Adventure
Stefi Troguet’s home team says that the Andorran will go to at least Camp 2 on May 11, when the wind is expected to decrease. At that time, she will have to deal with a large number of climbers on the ropes. Many clients flew back to Kathmandu for a rest during the bad weather. They are now more than ready to start their summit push. Troguet has not left the mountain but has been dealing with a cold.
Respiratory illnesses are no joke at altitude. Prateek Gupta of the ASC360 Insurance Company said this year that a high number of climbers and trekkers have ended up in the hospital with pulmonary infections. Among them is Russian skier Vitali Lazo. He tried to recover in Pangboche but eventually flew to the hospital in Kathmandu, where he is currently recovering. Lazo and partner Anton Pugovnik intend to climb and ski down Everest without oxygen.
Pumori not ready
On slightly lower mountains, action has resumed but conditions remain far from easy. In addition to the avalanche on Ama Dablam earlier today, snow slides and tough conditions also pushed Pumori climbers back from their summit push this past weekend.
“There was an avalanche at Camp 2 before we got there, and it buried all our stored equipment,” Asian Trekking leader Dawa Steven Sherpa told ExplorersWeb. “We could only dig out 200m of our 600m of rope and some snow stakes, so we had no option other than to retreat.
“Naga Dorjee Sherpa, who fixed most of the ropes and coordinated the team of Sherpas between three different companies, was devastated when we lost the rope.”
Naga Dorjee Sherpa, rope fixer extraordinaire. Photo: Asian Trekking
On the other hand, everyone got back down safely. “We had the whole mountain to ourselves,” Dawa Steven said. “Conditions were tough…but we had fantastic views the entire way up. Pumori didn’t want us up there this season, so we have to respect that.”
Says Swedish climber Magnus Wiberg, “We did all we could to summit Pumori, but weather and avalanches forced us back 300m below the top.” He posted some photos and videos of the climb:
Nuptse summits
Climbers on Nuptse, the impressive peak opposite Everest, were luckier. At least nine members of the Himalayan Guides team (outfitting Garrett Madison’s expedition) summited today at around 1:30 pm, The Himalayan Times reported.
The team included Madison, clients Krisli Melesk of Estonia and Richard Powell Draves Jr. from the U.S., and six Sherpas who fixed ropes all the way to the top: Aang Phurba Sherpa, Mingdorchi Sherpa, Chheder Sherpa, Lakpa Sherpa, Dawa Tenji Sherpa, and Chheten Dorjee Sherpa.
Makalu climbers in Camp 3
“Makalu team members just reached Camp 3 and will launch their summit push [from there] as soon as the weather gets better,” Seven Summit Treks reported.
On Dhaulagiri, the loads of new snow will have to settle down before the climbers dare to set foot on its avalanche-prone slopes.
Dhaulagiri Base Camp on May 5. Drone photo: Oswald Rodrigo Pereira
This time last year, conditions were better and many summits had already occurred — on Annapurna, Everest North, Everest South, Kangchenjunga (in several waves), and Dhaulagiri. Makalu had summits on May 10.
On Everest, the early summits allowed for several summit waves that spread out the traffic and avoided crowding at the technical bits. This year may not be so accommodating for the record number of climbers. It is not clear whether the coming summit window will be the only one before the monsoon.
Sura Peak alpine style
Marek Holecek and Matej Bernat reached the village of Thame yesterday, on their way to 6,764m Sura Peak. Once there, they’ll decide their line, says Holecek.
“Will we climb from the right side of the central ridge, or from the other side? We’ll have to wait a few more days [to see],” he wrote.
Sura Peak. Photo: Marek Holecek
