At the moment, there is no official confirmation from Japanese sources, but Benjamin Vedrines’ drone pilot, Thibaut Marot, posted this morning that two Japanese are missing on the West Face of K2.
Marot is currently in K2 Base Camp with Vedrines, who is starting his summit push tonight.
The only climbers on the West Face are Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima. The Japanese pair set off from Base Camp three days ago to attempt a new line on K2’s formidable West Face in alpine-style.
Hiraide and Nakajima on the summit of Tirich Mir in 2023. Photo: Ishii Sports
After patiently waiting for weeks for a weather window, the Japanese texted their home team on July 24: “It was raining at 4:30 am, but we are leaving anyway for Advanced Base Camp, hoping for a last chance.”
A Pakistan military helicopter is flying over K2 looking for Hiraide and Nakajima, according to Marot.
Kazuya Hiraide has won three Piolets d’Or, including two with Kenro Nakajima. ExplorersWeb highlighted their climbs on Karun Koh in 2022 and Tirich Mir in 2023 as among the best expeditions of the year. As we reported earlier this year, Hiraide said his previous climbs have served to prepare him for the greatest challenge of his career, the West Face of K2.
This is developing news, and we will update once we have more information.
Thibaut Marot’s Instagram post today.
“They are there for the Japanese.” A Pakistan Army helicopter flies toward K2. Photo: Frame of the video by Thibaut Marot
