John Snorri, Ali Sadpara and Sajid Sadpara have a clear plan in mind: to make the most of every day and every hour the weather allows. Yesterday, they set off through the icefall from BC to Advanced Base Camp, and even fixed ropes toward Camp 1 on the Abruzzi Spur route before retreating for the night. It was a long, hard day.
Back in Base Camp, they estimated that they had fixed a total of 600m. “On the way back, we got lost when we went through the icefall because it was already dark, and the GPS was messing with us,” said Snorri. They are now looking forward to returning to work on Sunday, when the forecast looks acceptable again.
Yesterday’s progress on K2.
Mingma G and his all-Sherpa team made it to Skardu yesterday. They spent the day in town and will set off for Askole early tomorrow.
Yesterday, Mingma G shared some details on social media. “[On the previous winter attempt] we started late,” he wrote, “so this year, I am here a month earlier, and so is John [Snorri].”
The Nepali guide also railed against the media for suggesting that there was competition among the teams bound for winter K2. “Once we all are at Base Camp, [I’m] sure we will coordinate with each other,” he insisted.
Mingma Gielje, aka Mingma G, at the Skardu airport earlier today. Photo: Sirbaz Khan/Lela Peak Expeditions
Meanwhile, the porters with Seven Summit Treks have finished bringing their loads to Base Camp and have returned to Skardu.
Porters about to leave for K2 BC. Photo shared by Carlos Garranzo
In Nepal, Sophie Lavaud, Mingma Sherpa, Dawa Sangay Sherpa, and Tenjing Sherpa have made a first ascent of 6,506m Kyungya Ri 2 in the Langtang Valley. The climbers summited today at 9am local time, an excellent way to celebrate #internationalmountainday. It’s also a grand finale to their successful season in Nepal: It’s the sixth summit for SST’s Mingma Sherpa and the third for Lavaud, after Gokyo Ri and Ama Dablam.
