News from Gasherbrum IV is short and somber: Sergey Nilov was flown to the hospital in Skardu today, and the search mission to try and find Golovchenko has been called off for the moment, sources from Base Camp said.
As per the sources, Nilov flew yesterday to Paiju Camp, a two-day trek from Skardu along the Baltoro route, for a preliminary health check at the military post there. He had minor frostbite and exhaustion. However, Nilov said that he was feeling well enough to return to the mountain in the rescue helicopter, to show the pilots where his partner had fallen.
In the end, bad weather prevented the helicopters from returning to the mountain. Since then, the military aviation authorities have been waiting for further instructions from Golovkencho’s family, and Nilov has transferred to the hospital in Skardu.
Nilov’s condition is currently stable, according to mountain.ru. The severity of his injuries varies depending on the source, but he seems to be recovering.
Sergey Nilov and Dmitry Golovchenko were attempting a new route on the southeast ridge of Gasherbrum IV, a route never before attempted. They climbed in a long, alpine-style push. For three weeks, they had remained on the mountain. Climbing off-season, they were the only climbers left in the Karakoram at the time.
