All teams currently on Broad Peak held a meeting in Base Camp today and decided on a massive summit push involving nearly 50 people.
After the meeting, Sophie Lenaerts shared the details with ExplorersWeb.
“Most teams have already reached Camp 3 [7,000m] for acclimatization, so virtually everyone here will participate in the push,” she said. “[We] aim to reach the summit on July 17.”
Sophie Lenaerts on the way to Camp 3 some days ago. Photo: Sophie Lenaerts
Both Lenaerts’ Belgian team and the Korean team led by Kim HongBin will leave for Camp 2 tonight. “All others will set off tomorrow, with Don Bowie leading the way,” Lenaerts explained.
Weather still poor
“It’s snowing right now, so we are a bit concerned about conditions. But if the forecast is right, the weather should improve tomorrow and stay stable until Sunday.”
The Belgians hope to reach Camp 2 today and Camp 3 tomorrow. “Then we will rest for one day [while the other teams join them]. On Friday night, we will set off for the summit with the rest, hoping to top out on the 17th.”
Camp 2 on Broad Peak some days ago. Photo: Sophie Lenaerts
Sophie Lenaerts’ team includes Steff Maginelle, Luc Beirinckx, Wouter Noterman, Niels Jespers, and Jeff Spelmans. None are using supplemental O2, although Beirinckx and Noterman will count on the help of two Pakistanis, Mustapha and Farman. After Broad Peak, Jespers and Spelmans will head for K2.
On the upcoming summit push, the Korean team is the only one planning to set up a fourth camp, probably on Thursday. The route from Camp 3 is quite steep until the saddle at about 7,600m, which leads to the long summit ridge. So the Koreans will likely pitch their camp on the saddle. Kim, who lost all his fingers after getting lost on Denali years ago, will finish his 14×8,000’er quest if he summits Broad Peak.
To know more about the route, the climb from camp to camp, and the summit day, see Broad Peak: A Climber’s Guide.
You can also find links to the trackers of several Broad Peak climbers here.
