Gasherbrum, Broad Peak and Nanga Parbat BCs are quite secluded this season, as major commercial expeditions have gathered on K2.
Majority of climbers have reached their respective Base Camps. For Nanga Parbat, it was quick two-day march from Karakoram Highway, while Karakoram teams drove off-road for a day and trekked more than a week to reach their mountains. Gasherbrum, Broad Peak and Nanga Parbat BCs are quite secluded this season, as major commercial expeditions have gathered on K2.
K2
Sherpa have started fixing ropes up the Abruzzi Spur on K2. The mountain is reported to be in better condition than 2015, when no one reached beyond C3. First group of clients tagged C1 couple of days ago and are sleeping in the camp, tonight. They will be heading towards C2, tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how so many teams manage their camps, as tent space is quite limited on K2.
Polish unification expedition have also arrived at Base Camp. They are mainly preparing for potential K2 winter expedition. There are six teams already at Base Camp, while another group is apparently still to reach the mountain.
Broad Peak
Unlike K2, its neighboring Broad Peak Base Camp is as lonely place. There is apparently just one team there right now, while a couple of other groups will join them in a few days. “It has been crazy to watch the daily influx of climbers and groups to K2, as they walk right next to our camp, but still no other team on Broad Peak except us,” wrote the Mountain Professionals team. The five member team has fixed the route till C1. They report the mountain to be “quite dry”.
International team led by Oscar Cadiach is currently trekking to the mountain. They are hoping to be at BC on Friday, July 1st. Ales Cesen is also in Pakistan, with a couple of fellow climbers. They have the permission to climb Broad Peak, while their main target is to attempt the fabled Gasherbrum IV.
Nanga Parbat
Yannick Graziani, Tom Seidensticker, Ferran Latorre and Helias Milerioux, who are attempting an unfinished on North face of Nanga Parbat, dashed up to 7050m on June 26th. They skied down to BC next day, as weather was expected to deteriorate from 28th. The four climbers were at 7050m just 8 days after reaching Islamabad (thanks to quick BC access).
Meanwhile, Spanish climbers Pepe Saldaña and Fernando Fernández Vivancos continue rope-fixing on Kinshofer route. Bulgarian Boyan Petrov and Ivan Tomov (a survivor of 2013 Diamir BC massacre) have also reached BC and are acclimatizing on Ganalo Peak. Finally, Korean-Chinese expedition led by Kim Migon, who were in Islamabad since few days, have received the permit and will be leaving for mountain, soon.
Gasherbrums
Like Broad Peak and Nanga Parbat, there are just a handful of climbers on GI and GII, this season. Apart from a few smaller teams on GII, two expeditions aim a GI-GII traverse and/or a possible new route. Spaniards, Alberto Iñurrategi, Juan Vallejo and Mikel Zabalza were first climbers to arrive at BC. They have now gone up to 6000m for acclimatization.
Polish traverse team has just reached Base Camp. They are quite happy to see not-so-crowded mountains, “in total 14 climbers. We found only one expedition on GII. There is no one on our GI. So GI is really ours.”
