Winter Pakistan: Nanga Parbat Ends, K2 Begins

David Gottler and Herve Barmasse have called their Nanga Parbat expedition off, despite assurances yesterday that they would wait to see if this week’s actual weather was better than predicted. High winds are forecast until February 10, and they have decided to fly home at the end of January.

K2 Base Camp last winter. Photo: Oswald Rodrigo Pereira

 

Meanwhile, in the Karakoram, Grace Tseng and the Dolma Outdoor team are expected to reach K2’s lonely Base Camp today. (Nanga Parbat, further south, lies in the Himalaya.)

They need good weather soon in order to fix ropes and set higher camps in time. Only 35 days remain until the end of the winter season, and they have only seven people to work on a very big route.