K2 has often flashed its savage side. One of the most famous disasters happened in the summer of 1995, between August 13 and 15. We examine the tragedy in a two-part series. You can check out Part 1 here.
In Camp 4
Spaniards Lorenzo Ortas and Jose Garces stayed in Camp 4 (7,950m) during the summit push on August 13-14. Waiting for their companions to return from the summit, they were going through hell, with hurricane-force winds tearing the camp apart. The two men soon started to get frostbite on their toes and fingers.
During that terrible night, Peter Hillary had a dangerous descent in the storm.
Jeff Lakes was also descending, but an avalanche caught him in his tent at a higher camp. Lakes dug himself out of the avalanche debris but couldn’t find his ice axes, crampon harness, or food. With great difficulty, he finally reached Camp 2 on the Abruzzi route, where he died of exhaustion on August 15. Kim Logan and Hillary buried Lakes at the camp.
View from the lower reaches of the Bottleneck on K2. Photo: Deosai Expeditions
Clear sky, frostbite
On the morning of August 14, after a terrifying night, Garces and Ortas woke to a bright, clear sky over K2. The two climbers looked at the upper section of the mountain, hoping to see the six summit group climbers descending. But their eyes were affected by the storm, and they could not see clearly.
Garces already had frostbite on his feet and hands, Ortas on his hands. With only one pair of gloves, one piolet, and the crampons, the Spaniards had to start their descent via the Cesen route. Their health meant they could wait no longer.
There was still no news from Lorenzo Ortiz, Javier Olivar, Javier Escartin, Alison Hargreaves, Bruce Grant, and Rob Slater. The storm probably caught the summit group descending just below the summit, probably at about 8,500m.
The Spanish team with Alison Hargreaves. Photo: Heraldo
Bloodstained gear
According to the Spanish team’s report in the American Alpine Journal, on August 14 at about 4 pm, Garces and Ortas descended to around 7,400m. There, they spotted some clothing, well to the right of their line of descent. First, they saw an empty boot with a heating device attached. They recognized that the boot belonged to Hargreaves.
Some three meters below the boot, they found a dark violet anorak with a small flower motif, and inside the anorak, a black harness. They recognized that these also belonged to Hargreaves. The anorak and harness were stained with blood.
Looking up the partially rocky gully, Garces and Ortas saw three distinct bloodstained tracks running well separated and parallel to each other. They came down from about 8,500m, a long way before the Traverse that leads down to the Bottleneck. It meant that at least three of the summit climbers must have fallen from the summit ridge, possibly blown off by the hurricane wind.
Rocks left of the Bottleneck on K2. Photo: Don Bowie
Hargreaves’ body
At about 7,100m, and 270m from the route, Garces and Ortas spotted a body. The body was lying in a hollowed rather flat area, at the edge of a line of seracs that are a prominent feature of the South Face. The body, wearing red clothing, seemed to be Hargreaves.
Garces and Ortas wanted to descend to their Camp 3 and later try to recover the body and bury it. But in poor health, they desperately needed to reach Camp 2 as soon as possible and eventually descended there by 10 pm.
Looking for the other missing climbers
On August 16, members of the New Zealand team, including Hillary, went to the Broad Peak Base Camp. Scott Fischer was there with his expedition, and the group scoured the summit area of K2 with a telescope. But they didn’t spot anything.
From the Broad Peak Base Camp, Hillary then relayed the tragic news to the outside world.
Garces and Ortas had to wait several days for evacuation by helicopter. Finally, on August 19, they made it to the hospital.
The six summit climbers disappeared forever.
Photo montage of the eight climbers who perished on K2 in the summer of 1995. From left to right from the top: Jeff Lakes, Javier Escartin, Lorenzo Ortiz, Javier Olivar, Rob Slater, Alison Hargreaves, Bruce Grant, and earlier in that summer, Jordi Angles.
Strong climbers
All the climbers attempting to reach the summit that August were strong climbers who didn’t need high-altitude porters or oxygen. They were experienced and well-acclimatized. When they started their final push from Camp 4, the weather was stable. They knew they were responsible for their own decisions.
The six summit climbers, members of three different expeditions, joined forces. There were no rivalries. They encouraged each other, and the summit seemed close. They thought there was enough time to top out and return before any potential bad weather.
However, maybe group-motivated decisions made them forget to make individual decisions. At 8,400m, doubts emerged among several climbers. If they continued toward the summit, were they risking suddenly entering bad weather?
Peter Hillary. Photo: Peter Jordan
Hillary’s thoughts
Hillary made the right decision when he aborted his summit push. He had spotted strange clouds and listened to the voice in his head telling him to go down.
“Dad [Edmund Hillary] told me the most important thing I know: how to be bravely independent when making a decision. Everyone’s looking at everyone else, thinking: They’re feeling all right, so it must be all right. It’s hard to go against that. That storm was coming in, and it was incredibly obvious that going on was not the right thing to do,” Hillary told writer John Elder after the expedition.
K2 from Camp 2 of Broad Peak. Photo: Shah Doulat
