Russian

The next project of the Russian climbers "The first climb of K2 West Face (8611 m)" will begin in June, 2005

Expedition chronicle

13 July, 2005 The team began their trek back to Askole.

11 July, 2005 Victor Kozlov (2-20 p.m.): spent night at 5600, our team went up till 6100 to the left of West Face and made photo- and video -report.

10 July, 2005 Victor Kozlov (1-20 p.m.): we set the tent at 5600, and went up to 5800 to take photoes. Tomorrow we'll try to make pictures of the West Face's profile.

7 July, 2005 Victor Kozlov called (7-40 p.m.) from the base camp: The weather has stabilized today morning. There're clouds, but it doesn't snow. Guys left BC and reached Japanese camp where they've left the deposit. They set tent and went up further after the midday. They found very good place just under West Face - there'll be our ABC next year, at 5600 m. The place's safe - ice, snow, but no stones from the wall. The distance to the Face foot - 500-600 m. Then guys went back to 5300 (Japanese camp) for night, tomorrow the'll move the tent to 5600 and begin to seach the West Face conditions. The first impression - it's very good! It's the pass to the left from the Face, and China behind it. We have 5-6 days to seach the West Face detailes. Denis Urubko visited me here in BC today.

6 July, 2005 Victor Kozlov called (11 a.m.): The weather's abso;utely bad. All of us stay in BC. I'll call in the evening.

5 July, 2005 Victor Kozlov called (7 p.m.): Three days of bad weather. Today it's snowing but in morning the window opened, and guys went again up to Japanese camp to deposit some more gear. The crevasses at the glacier aren't too deep but threre are a lot of them... Tomorrow Piotr, Pavel and Vassily will go up to the bottom of the West Face for 6 days. It's the same long to the West Face bottom from Japanese camp as from us till that camp... I'll stay here in BC. Hope to visit Urubko and the team.

July 1 , 2005 Pavel Shabalin (6-40 p.m.): We'll have rest day tomorrow. Today we went up - till the place where Japanese camp was. There are a lot of crevasses at the glacier. We marked our trek and deposited the part of our loads. Our way was only 3 km (if look at staight line) but it took us 6 hours. The other expeditions climbers have the forecast - it promises snow - tomorrow or day after.

June 30, 2005 Victor Kozlov (4-15 p.m.): We're in the classic Base Camp. In all days we have gone 92 km. Thre're few climbers in BC. We set our camp more West from them. Set dinning and kitchen tents. The weather's worsening. Sometimwes it's snpwing. K2 is just front of us, in clouds, pity. Today we we saw Broad peak - there're two expeditions now, but more are waiting. We need to ... Angel peak to reach K2 West Face. Our porters came down, and we'll take another porters who can to go by glacier - for special fee. During our way we saw Masherbrum face which was choosen by Odintsov - the upper bastion was impressive.

June 29, 2005 Victor Kozlov called (7-40 p.m.):all four of us are sitting in the tent with the view of K2, Broad peak and Gasherbrums, in Concordia at 4500 m. It remains only one day trekking (about 5 hours) to K2 classic base camp. We'll rest there or will the same day go further. Clouds appeared after the midday. (Piotr wanted to say something by the sat phone, but he's out of voice - as a rule for him in the mountain)

June 27, 2005 Victor Kozlov called (7 p.m.):we reached 4000 m today, went along the Baltoro glacier. There are 6000-7000-m tops everywhere around us - beautiful! The seventh day the weather's fine, but here's not so heat. Tomorrow we're planning to start at 6 a.m. and go 20 km, rising 5000 vertical meters. We met Odintsov and Ruchkin at the glacier - they went down. Greetings to all!

June 26, 2005 Victor Kozlov called (6-40 p.m.):We have gone next 20 km today. It was the same heat - like a mountain desert... No cloud at the sky. Now we are in Paju, 3400 m. THis's a beautiful green oasis at the river bank. Very good place. We had already seen К2 during the way - the upper part. Are going to reach еру glacier and continue our trekking tomorrow. Stay in touch.

June 25, 2005 Victor Kozlov called (6-30 p.m.): We left Askole today only - it took us 2 days to organize porters. There were no porters in that village, and we ordered them from the below place. There is extremely heat in Pakistan - here at 3000 m the temperature is 45 C. Too much snow as predicted and it melts too fast. It couldn't came through some places after the midday - small streams became the strong mountain rivers and we had some difficulties crossing them. We have gone 20 km today and reach Jula. Tomorrow we've to start at 4 a.m., go next 20 km and reach Paju untill 2 p.m. Greetings to all!

June 23, 2005 Victor Kozlov's call: we are in Askole, are going to begin trekking tomorrow. The weather's fine

June 21, 2005 Victor Kozlov's call: we are in Skardu. Our team left Islamabad June, 19. We went by car 12,5 hours, then spent night in Chilas. Yesterday we went 9 hours.

Skardu is very pleasant place, here's beauttiful valley, which is transformed here as the lake. We enjoyed this place - all here're clean and accurate... We have bought equipment, and are preparing vegetables for the trekking. We'll start tomorrow to Askole, spend the night there (in tents already) and next day begin our trek to K2 West Face base camp.

15 June, 2005 Four members of the K2 West Face reconnaissance expedition fly today to Islamabad from Moscow: Victor Kozlov, Vassily Yelagin, Piotr Kuznetsov and Pavel Shabaln.

The main stage of the project will be in June- August 2006. 20 strongest climbers from different cities of Russia will go from Moscow to Pakistan. Most of them had been awarded by ordens and medals for the great achievements in mountaineering.

The film group will work in the expedition - six videocameras will record all stages of the climb. THis material will be a base for documentary filmabout the first K2 West Face climb.

The first stage of the expedition - June, 15 - July, 25 2005. The small team will reach the bottom of K2 West Face (Pakistan side), set the Base camp, and choose the route line for the future climb.