Ischii Sports has announced on its website that it has called off any potential rescue of Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima.
The celebrated alpinists fell from 7,000m on the West Face of K2 on Saturday. A rescue helicopter spotted their two motionless bodies in the snow on Sunday but could not land. Yesterday, as their film crew moved down to Base Camp, they reported seeing the bodies, still motionless.
According to the Japan Times, a large crack (or serac?) above the figures threatened to give way and made any potential ground rescue too hazardous. With the permission of their families, the attempt was called off.
The Japanese pair had set out to do a new alpine-style line on K2’s formidable West Face. 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.
“I have climbed many mountains, and now I have become afraid of them,” said Hiraide in a recent documentary about their ascent of the North Face of Tirich Mir. “They scare me because now I know the danger under my feet.”
