Deep, loose snow has forced Marek Holecek and Radoslav Groh to fight for every metre of progress up Masherbrum’s West Face.
“Even a horse-drawn carriage would get tired of this terrain,” Holecek wrote yesterday.
Today marked their seventh bivouac on the Face. After battling a 70º snow ridge and constant avalanches, they now have less than 800m left of the 3,500m-high wall.
“In my eyes, this is still the distance to the nearest star for me,” Holecek admitted.
Even at their current snail’s pace, they might reach the top during the three remaining days of decent weather. But they will then face a stormy descent, as the weather sours around midweek.
Clouds cover the peaks below the climbers, seen from their precarious bivouac. Photo: Marek Holecek
Up or down? They will decide tomorrow.
“If the terrain is better, we will continue,” Holecek said.
