This morning has seen new summits on K2, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum II.
K2
Three Italian climbing guides, Francois Cazzanelli, Picco Pietro, and Jerome Perruquet, summited K2 this morning without O2.
Denis Urubko only arrived at K2 Base Camp yesterday. We thought that he might rest for a few days before ascending, but the tireless Urubko is already in Camp 2.
Chhiring Sherpa. Photo: Mingma G
Seven Summit Treks announced that nine of their team (four clients and five Sherpas) summited K2. This group included Gelje Sherpa and Adriana Brownlee.
8K Expeditions announced that Taiwanese climber Chan Chiao-yu and Dawa Nuppu Sherpa summited at 8:30 am local time.
Chan Chiao-yu (who also goes by the handle ‘Trifish’) and Dawa Nuppu Sherpa. Photo: 8K Expeditions
Mingma David Sherpa of Elite Himalayan Adventures also topped out. He pushed from Base Camp to the summit in just 14 hours and 22 minutes. He probably climbed with oxygen, but this is yet to be confirmed. This was his fifth K2 summit.
Meanwhile, Mingma G announced that Chhiring Sherpa summited K2 even faster. Climbing from Base Camp to summit in 12 hours 20 minutes he smashed the K2 speed record. Once again, supplementary oxygen was not mentioned but he was likely using it.
Lina Quesada, Kristin Harila, and Sarah Strattan. Photo: Lina Quesada
Lina Quesada, a Spanish climber who summited K2 with the crowds on July 22, has published an account of her descent. She explained that with so many people on the mountain, it took her two days to descend to Base Camp.
Quesada considers the mountain, already very dangerous, to be even riskier due to the heavy traffic. There were “several hours waiting on the rappels, with falling stones, and Sherpas loaded with oxygen cylinders for their clients who are using bottled O2 from Camp 2. [There are] people learning to rappel at Base Camp,” Quesada wrote.
He Jing. Photo: Dawa Sherpa
Broad Peak
Yesterday, Spanish climber Pepe Saldana made it to the summit of Broad Peak without supplemental oxygen. Today there have been more summits.
Kristin Harila and her two guides, Dawa Ongju and Pasdawa Sherpa, topped out to keep their pursuit of Nirmal Purja’s 14×8,000’er speed record on track. Pasang Lhamu Akita and Chhiring Namgel Sherpa also summited.
Harila and her guides will now move on to Gasherbrum I and II. So far, Harila has racked up nine 8,000’ers in exactly three months. Beginning on April 28, she has climbed Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Nanga Parbat, K2, and now Broad Peak. The real hurdle for her project will be, as it always has been, getting permission to climb Cho Oyu and Shishapangma in China.
In 2019, Purja did his first nine 8,000’ers between April 23 and July 18, so — if you are keeping track of the race — he has a slight lead of five days.
Kristin Harila, Dawa Ongju, and Pasdawa Sherpa. Photo: 8K Expeditions
Seven Summit Treks note that Chinese climber He Jing summited Broad Peak without O2. It was her fourth summit without O2, following successful ascents of Everest and Lhotse last spring, and K2 this season.
Dolma Outdoor client Grace Tseng is reported to have summited Broad Peak this morning with Nima Gyalzen Sherpa and Ningma Dorje Tamang. Tseng’s agency states that she climbed without O2.
Gasherbrum II. Photo: Seven Summit Treks
Gasherbrum II
Seven Summit Treks reported three summits this morning: Moeses Fiamoncini, Miguel Oscar, and Pasang Nurbu Sherpa.
