More details have emerged about the paragliding flights of Jean Ives Fredriksen, Benjamin Vedrines, Liv Sansoz, and Zeb Roche from the summit of K2.
All four climbed without oxygen or support on July 28. Vedrines flew first, while Sansoz and Roche achieved the first tandem flight.
Vedrines described his achievement as a “big dream.” He climbed K2 in a record 11 hours without oxygen, then launched from the 8,611m summit in what he called exceptional conditions. He used a 17m wing specially designed for him.
Fredriksen, meanwhile, reached the summit two hours later in flat calm, so his takeoff was much harder. He had to wait 90 minutes for a wisp of wind to fly.
Impromptu rescue
On the following day, Vedrines and photographer Seb Montaz climbed up again to Camp 2 to retrieve the tent and gear. Here, they also helped Marco Majori of Italy, who had fallen below Camp 4 while skiing down in thick fog. Marco tumbled 10 meters into a crevasse and dislocated his shoulder.
Majori reached Camp 3 with the help of climbing partner Federico Secchi, but apparently, they had no tents or supplies available.
“The French climbers were great,” Secchi wrote on social media. “Without hesitation, they came to Camp 3 with food, tent, medicines, and an oxygen bottle…so that [Marco] could manage to descend the next day.”
The tandem flight
Zeb Roche and Liv Sansoz, no-O2 on the summit of K2. Photo: Zeb Roche
Sansoz and Roche reached the summit just as Jean Yves Fredriksen was about to take off. They followed him shortly after, at around 5 pm. They glided for about 30 minutes amid the Karakoram giants.
“It was a magical flight…with so much height and beauty,” Sansoz wrote. “Even today, just thinking about it gives us the chills!”
The couple’s customized tandem glider weighed just 2.43kg, and Fredriksen’s was even lighter: 1.1kg. Read more here.
Here is a video of Sansoz and Roche’s climb and the flight down:
And here is Fredriksen’s footage:
