Pakistan 2006: New teams join up - Gasherbrum’s a favorite
09:40 am CST Mar 21, 2006
(K2Climb.net) In 2004 hundreds of climbers gathered on the slopes of K2; in 2005, it was the year of Nanga Parbat. This year, it could be Gasherbrums' year, as an unusual number of expeditions flock to the massif.
Crowds heading for all Gasherbrums
As more teams fill their applications for climbing permits in Pakistan this summer, the Gasherbrums are registering an increasing number of visitors. Many of them not only have their sights set on the 8000+ points in the massifs (GI and GII), but also on the difficult GIV.
In addition to the three teams (Spaniards, Germans and US-British) we mentioned some days ago, another Slovak trio led by Jozef Kopold has now confirmed they will be on GIV this summer as well.
GII as starter
The relatively easy Gasherbrum II (8034m) is often used as an acclimatization peak for 8000er double-headers. Such is the case of Spaniard Oscar Cadiach, leader the Magic Line team on K2 in 2004, and now guiding a large group on both Gasherbrums. A Dutch team led by Jean Eltjo Reint will attempt the GII-Broad Peak double-header.
Other teams climbing only GII are a Swiss group led by Richard Bolt; two Spanish - led by Francisco Briongos and Andoni Ormazabal each; and one German led by Andreas Stizinger.
Steve House’s plan B, Canadian double-header
It seems 2006 is shaping up to be quite a promising season as other expeditions gear up for various different peaks.
While it's still unclear if American Steve House will be permitted to climb K6, located in a restricted area, the Piolet d’Or awarded climber has asked for a second climbing permit this season: One for Kunyang Chhish (7852m).
In addition to Steve’s team, consisting of 5 climbers, a further Canadian four-man strong group led by Raphael Slawinski will also attempt that same peak. Another Canadian team, led by Maxime Turgeon, will go for 7145m tall Latok-1 (destination also chosen by the Benegas Brothers for a third attempt). Maxime also hopes to climb K7’s West point (6934m).
Legendary peaks: Tirich Mir and Chogolisa
A Greek team will go for another legendary peak: Tirich Mir, the head of the Hindu Kush at 7708m. Leader is Nikolaos Kroupis.
Another interesting expedition will be the one led by Austrian Markus Kronthaler, who will lead a large team on the footprints of fellow Austrian legend Hermann Buhl. This team aims for a double-header on Broad Peak and Chogolisa. Buhl achieved the first ascent on Broad Peak in 1957, and immediately afterwards went for Chogolisa, where he fell to his death when a cornice broke under his feet.
One more for K2
Finally a Russian expedition led by Yuri Uteshev has confirmed they will be climbing K2. No route has been detailed on the climbing permit application. This is not; however, the same ace-team planning to attempt a first ascent of the Peak’s West face – that expedition, led by Viktor Kozlov, is yet to be confirmed.
More and more teams are adding their names to the list of permit seekers looking to climb Pakistani peaks this summer according to the country's Ministry of Tourism. The list has been forwarded to ExWeb by Saltoro Summits.
Last year many tried but summits were scarce among Gasherbrum teams due to excess snow and bad weather.
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