The Polish team has launched its third and final attempt on Gasherbrum VI.
After reaching a dead end on their first attempt, Jacek Pawel Czech, Szymon Kita, and Aleksandra Kita moved to the left side of the Southeast Face and tried a different line. That second attempt took the climbers 14 hours: 9 hours to gain 600 vertical meters and five more to return to Base Camp.
Leader Czech told the Jerzy Kukuczka Foundation for the Support of Polish Mountaineering that they were navigating between avalanches on moderately difficult terrain. On their way back, they left a gear cache.
Gasherbrum VI from Base Camp. Photo: Jacek Pawel Czech
After three days of rest, the team set off again earlier today, outfitter Lela Peak Expeditions told ExplorersWeb. Before leaving, Czech said that they have given themselves three days to reach the summit and go down. “Whatever happens, we will descend by Saturday; we’re tired,” he admitted.
Two teams in the Karakoram
Gasherbrum VI, approximately 7,000m high (the altitude varies with the source), is the only unclimbed point on the Gasherbrum massif. The Polish trio is completely alone in the area. The only others in the area are a Slovenian team on K7 to the southwest, in the Charakusa Valley near Masherbrum.
Location of the K7-Masherbrum area and the Gasherbrum massif on the right. Photo: Google Maps
