With the last of their satphone battery, the Czech climbers sent a brief but encouraging message to their friends in Base Camp: “Again, a crazy, frozen night with a hurricane, but in the morning there is sun and no wind! Let’s go down, let’s go down, let’s go down.”
After opening a new route on Baruntse’s Northwest Face in pure alpine style, Cyclone Yaas trapped the pair for days. Despite the hardship, they have not asked for rescue or lost their cool. While waiting for enough visibility to descend, they have endured the gale-force winds and 40cm of fresh snow every day.
It is good news, but far from the end of their struggle. Now, the pair have to find their way down from 7,000m, on a mountain dangerously overloaded with fresh snow. We’ll update as soon as we get news, but if their satellite phone is now out of power, we won’t hear from them until they are back in Base Camp.
