|
|
K2 Magic Line Summit Push Update
Agu 15, 2004 21: 22 EST
Our correspondent in Madrid is in frequent phone contact with the team. The latest news were that the next contact from K2 would be 8-9 am in the morning Spanish time, (2-3 am EST) unless something happens.
"That means that, if we get no news, climbers will leave their tent at 04:00 am local time." (7 pm EST.)
The team will call us if the climbers turn back, and the site will be updated with the news immediately. Jordi Tosas is nevertheless optimistic, and thinks the climbers have a chance.
The climbers were last bivouacking at 8300 meters. They need good visibility and low wind. They monitor the weather forecasts closely, and have no less than three sources to their aid; AdventureWeather's American and Swedish sources, and the Catalonian Meteo services. In spite of the Sunday holiday, the International mets have been in phone contact with the support teams, who relayed the information to Valen Giró who is in C3 on the Abruzzi Spur route. He is trying to keep in touch with the climbers on the Magic Line over radio.
Sunday was expected to be mild and sunny above 8000m with winds near 5-7 m/s and fairly dry air. A weak to moderate westerly jet is currently situated just north of the K2 area at this time and will slowly push southward over the next few days. This will increase the winds for K2 by Monday morning (between 6am-11am local) to around 7-12 m/s. This means that the climbers might hit higher winds around 2 hours into heir push, or about the time of the publish of this update. The route is described like Matterhorn, only at 8000+.
The climbers plan to descend through the Abruzzi Spur only if the visibility is perfect. The way down is not clear, especially between the summit and C3. If the weather is not good enough, the will choose the familiar, although difficult and unfixed Magic Line, according to Jordi's chat with ExWeb yesterday.
Another complication is that Manel stayed behind in the bivouac tent today, due to exhaustion. If the other two choose to descend through the Abruzzi Spur, he will have to find his own way down through the unroped section down to 7500 meters at camp 3, unless he joins the team for the summit bid.
The situation is very uncertain at this point. The climbers have already spent the past three nights at between 7500-8300 meters. No news at this point means they are pushing right now. God's speed, guys.
Weather forecast: Above 7500m - Winds near 5 m/s are expected today with winds increasing early Monday to around 7-12 m/s (10-12 m/s at the Summit). They could further increase to near 15 m/s by the afternoon hours on Monday. Winds will continue to increase on Tuesday to around 12-18 m/s (near 20 m/s at the Summit). By Wednesday expect the winds to be 10-15 m/s (15-20 m/s at the Summit). Through the rest of the week expect winds around 7-15 m/s. There is a chance for high clouds/near 7500m snow on Thursday and Friday.
Messner attempted the Magic Line in 1979 with Michl Dacher. He abandoned the route after a while and climbed the Abruzzi Spur instead. It was then the fourth repetition of the Abruzzi. It is commonly said that after his climb, Reinhold described the Magic Line as suicidal, which he denied Friday.
The first Magic Line ascent was made by a Polish/Slovak team. The men were Wojtek Wroz (Poland), Przemyslaw Piasecki (Poland) and Peter Bozik (Slovakia). The climbers ascended in expedition style up to 7600 m. Wojtek Wroz fell from the fixed ropes during the descent by the Abruzzi spur. Peter Bozik later perished during an attempt to climb the Bonington route on the South West Face of Everest in 1998.
The head of the current "Tarragona Magic Line Expedition 2004" is Oscar Cadiach, who has done 5 expeditions to Everest, 2 of which reached the summit. Cadiach has also climbed Nanga Parbat, Shisha Pangma, Makalu and Lhotse. He opened the route 'Free Tibet' on Cho Oyu and did a new route on Broad Peak central. Manel de la Matta climbed Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma. Jordi Corominas climbed Dhaulagiri alone.
The climbers are attempting the first repetition of the Line. Monday 15th, could be the summit day. The other difficult K2 route this season was the Italian attempt of the North side which hasn't been climbed since 1996. That expedition was aborted last Thursday.
Dig image "Climbers and their headlamps before dawn, Himalaya" copyright Nomads'Land.
|
|
Feature Stories |
|
Latest News |
more news |
 |
ExWeb Interview: Damian Benegas - Return to a Dangerous Land
Full Story
|
 |
ExWeb Interview: Manuel Gonzalez - Turning to the Gasherbrums to h
Full Story
|
 |
Menno Boermans: Frozen images from Broad Peak
Full Story
|
 |
K2 2005: Base Camp Clinic!
Full Story
|
 |
K2: Americans for 2005 SSE Ridge Alpine style attempt
Full Story
|
 |
Karakorum climbing permit Sale to continue!
Full Story
|
 |
Silvio Mondinelli/Edurne Pasaban Nanga Parbat 2005
Full Story
|
|
|
| Ireland K2 expedition leaving town Sunday Jun 3, 2005 | | Avalanche alert in Pakistan and media reports of 2005 causalties Jun 2, 2005 | | Vikings for Pakistan sky descents! Jun 1, 2005 | | Russians for K2 West Face first ascent May 31, 2005 | | ExplorersWeb Week in Review May 30, 2005 | | Pakistan's last images of Chinese/Tibet expedition May 28, 2005 | | China/Tibet's great loss - Rena dies, Bianba Zaxi seriously injured May 28, 2005 | | China/Tibet Gasherbrum expedition caught in big avalanche May 28, 2005 | | Simone Moro's Batura II expedition: “Thank God Alpinism is anything but dead,” part 2 final May 26, 2005 | | Simone Moro's Batura II expedition: "Thank God alpinism is anything but dead" part 1 May 25, 2005 |
| | Iridium: "Invalid battery - matches found, 0" May 24, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
2004
BEST of EXPLORERSWEB
|
|
|
|
