K2 Magic Line summit: Jordi coming down the Abruzzi!
Agu 16, 2004 16: 45 EST
Incredible news just reached us that Jordi called BC at midnight local (around 30 minutes ago) from the summit of K2. He is now going down from the summit to camp 4 on the Abruzzi ridge - and estimates 4-5 hours to reach the camp, reported Base Camp to ExWeb over sat phone.
The earlier contact with Jordi was around 3 pm, local. He was tired but clear in his radio report, and still around 80 meters from the summit, going very slow in unexpected deep snow on the final slope. He could not come back down the Magic line. He had to reach the summit and climb down Abruzzi.
The time of this current update was 12.20 am local (3:20 EST). Jordi has now climbed for 21 hours, the last 5 in darkness. This is his third night above 8000 meters without oxygen support.
It is difficult to find the way down to C4 from the summit. There is a new moon, but if the skies are clear, the stars could be enough to light his way. Luck has it, that the Dosanko Japanese expedition reached the summit via the Cesen route this morning and Jordi could find their tracks to a section of fixed rope.
The Japanese Dosanko team, lead by Mr. Masahide Matsumoto, is a small four-members team, two of them designed as a summit team, and two others supporting their mates and working on the route.
The Japanese climbers were quickly notified about Jordi's situation and offered to provide a place for him in Camp 4 (shared both on the Abruzzi and Cesen routes). They have further stayed in this camp to wait for Jordi, making it possible for him to climb back down to BC in their company.
Oscar and Manel reached the safety of camp 3 on the Magic line route earlier today and will continue down tomorrow. Manel has small signs of pulmonary edema, and that's why he couldn't join the summit bid.
The weather on Jordi's push has been good; Jordi was reported to have been climbing without gloves most of the time and was sheltered from the moderate wind by the mountain wall. The climbers however expect the winds to increase more today.
Weather forecast: Above 7500m - Winds near 5 m/s Sunday, 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.
Dig image "Climber and headlamp 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 |
|
|
