Two weeks ago, Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel abandoned Gasherbrum II because of heavy snowfall and headed off to his main objective of the season, K2. Bargiel is aiming to become the first person to ski K2 from summit to Base Camp.
Negotiating glacial melt. With this form, Bargiel might make the Polish long jump team at the 2020 Olympics. Photo: Andrzej Bargiel
After a nine-hour romp across a glacier, Bargiel and his team made K2 Base Camp on July 9. Since then, Bargiel and Janusz Golab have been making acclimatization trips up the southeast spur, also known as the Cesen or Basque route.
Bargiel’s brother Bartek captured this shot of K2 by drone at 8,400 m. Could this be a new world record for drone flight? Photo: Bartek Bargiel
On July 15, in good weather, the duo climbed to 7,800 meters via the famed Abruzzi Spur and established Camp 5. Bargiel then skied back down to Base Camp, with Golab descending on foot.
