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Nanga Parbat (8126 m), Broad Peak (8046 m) and K2 (8611 m) Kazakhstan Expedition
Summer 2003

24 July, 2003 Martin Minarik, Czech K2-Broad Peak expedition:

By 7am, there are only six of us on the slope leading to the col between two summits of Broad Peak. Up ahead, there is Denis Urubko. This wild horse from Kazach prairies seems to have unlimited amount of energy. He is running and even we are not slow, we have no chance to keep up with him. Climbing in Himalaya in these days is like going to the same bar. One sees the same old faces all the time. Denis and me met 20 meters from the summit of Kangchenjunga last year in May. If everything goes well, we will climb K2 together in couple of weeks...and many more mountains in the future.

(the fragment of Martin's diary about Broad Peak climb)

Serguey Bogomolov: the first Russian summited Broad Peak

Serguey at the top of Broad. K2 at the background

We set Camp at 6500 and have just gone to sleep, but heard: "Alexey, switch on the radio, please, say, that we are OK"

"Oh, God, it's beginning..." - I thought. - Why there's Russian speech? Our guys are only above, where the first group is.

Radio was switched on. Pivtsov said: "Guys! Urubko with Lafaille and Viesturs are descending. Lafaille feels extremely bad, he needs medicines."

They have come to our camp. Breath and cardio- problems, but he's going by himself. We gave him prednizalon, cardiamine. They decided to descent all night till the Base Camp, where Lafaille will be better.

So, what's happened? Our trek lasted a week - first along Baltoro river, then along the glacier. One yak, our meet, went with us. But he had broken the leg on the moraine, and we didn't see him more. Only two she-goats came with us to the Base Camp. Our partners - Viesturs, Lafaille, Moro and Ochoa - set BC under Broad Peak, but we went to 5000 m under K2. This was July 12. And July 14 we began our ascension. We needed to save our acclimatization mode. It's appeared, that nobody have summited Broad yet. Ochoa received weather forecast - the fine weather should be July 15. And that day about 10 persons started to the summit. Mr Hun from Korea had the chance to complete his Quest 14 programme, he invested a lot of money for this project. He had flown here from Nepal with 4 high-altitude Sherpas by helicopter, which costed him $21000.

Lafaille and Viesturs started from 6900m, Moro and Ochoa - from 5800. Inaki had already been here. They planed very easy and quick ascent. In result, Ochoa after the summit lost his energy and stoped at 7400 m at Korean tent, Simone did the same in Russian tent at 6900. And Lafaille has fallen ill, he had pulmonary problems (as Inaki said). What should happen if our guys weren't at 6900 or they should not have medicines? And what about Denis ascent?

July 16 our three guys summited Broad in a good style. We (the second group) ascended till 7400 and spent night there. July 17 we started at 0-30 am and at 7-15 am we were at the top. It's clear, but very strong wind and cold. But it's better than to wait an ideal weather. The wind whiped our eyes, masks an googles didn't saved us. We descended to our camp at 11-00 am. Iljinsky recommended us to spend a night there for the better acclimatization. July 18 Urubko, due to his phenomenal possibilities, went up at the head of 8 summiters. The weather was fine, and he reached the top. I have seen the moraine under Broad Peak became clean, exept two camps. Mr Hun have given presents to all and have flown away by his helicopter. Lafaille and Viesturs have flown by insurance company's helicopter. People are only on the moraine under K2. Nobody have climbed upper than Camp 3 yet. As for us, the ascent of moraine from Broad Peak to K2 Base Camp, where Mr Iljinsky waited us, was the hardest.

Serguey Bogomolov, K2 Base Camp, July 20

Edit. comment: Broad Peak is the eleventh Serguey's 8000-er. He has good chance to become the first Russian who completes the Quest 14 programme.