After weeks of drought, the first snowfall in the Karakoram has triggered an accident on Broad Peak. Earlier today, a slide hit Waldemar Kowalewski of Poland between Camps 2 and Camp 3, and he is waiting for rescue.
Fellow Pole Lukasz Supergan broke the news this morning from Base Camp. Supergan returned from Camp 2 on Monday, with the mountain in extremely dry conditions. Since then, snow has fallen for two days and covered the upper half of Broad Peak.
“We were sitting outside our tents at Base Camp when we spotted an avalanche descending [from] 6,600-6,800m, between Camp 2 and Camp 3. At first, we dismissed it as a curiosity until we saw the silhouette of a person in the avalanche,” Supergan reported.
Lukasz Supergan of Poland at Broad Peak Base Camp. Photo: Lukasz Supergan/Facebook
From Base Camp, climbers saw three people in the slide path, but two of them quickly moved away while the other one remained in the same place. Shortly afterward, they received word that Waldemar Kowalewski had a broken leg above Camp 2.
According to Supergan, the liaison officer in Base Camp has contacted the rescue services of the Pakistani army. However, it is unclear if the helicopters will be able to fly, since a storm front is approaching.
Climber safe for now
In a later update, Supergan wrote that Kowaleski has been helped down to a tent at 6,500m, about 330m above Camp 2.
“Two friends, Jarek and Hassan [surnames unknown], are with him,” he wrote. “Jarek is looking after Kowalewski, while Hassan has descended to Camp 2 to get some gas.”
A team of several people, including a doctor, is leaving Base Camp tonight. As Supergan explained, the lower slopes of Broad Peak are still dry and prone to rockfall, so rescuers will have to wait for the cooler night to go up.
Supergan also showed concern about avalanche risk for the rescuers above Camp 2. “The line where the snow slab broke can be clearly seen from Base Camp,” Supergan wrote.
Apparently, the accident took place when the climbers were coming down from Camp 3, which is usually pitched at around 7,000m. The three climbers had spent three nights at that altitude. The avalanche triggered as soon as they entered a snowfield slightly below.
Waldemar Kowalewski is a regular on the 8,000m scene. Last winter, he summited Ama Dablam and then spent the spring cycling and trekking in Nepal. Before heading to Pakistan, he was on Denali. According to his Instagram, Kowalewski intended to climb Broad Peak this summer and then head to Cho Oyu in the fall.
