August 2004 news

26 August, 2004 Six members of complex expedition of Moscow Mountaineering Federation and Sports Club of Moscow Aviation Institute (?AI) summited Kongur (7719m) yesterday via new route. 19 August, 2004 Valery Shamalo and Kirill Korabelnikov summited Kongur (7719 m) (new route from the North) August, 9. Bonington climbed Kongur in 1981, then there were 26 failed attempts... Saint Petersburg team did the second climb. 13 August, 2004 Happy Birthday to Vladimir Suviga - the climber from Central Sport Club of Kazakhstan Army. Snow Leopard, he reached the tops Communism, Lenin, Korzhenevskaya, PObeda and Khan Tengri peaks in one season. He climbed K2 this summer, Everest in 1997, Manaslu in 1995, Dhaulagiri in 1991 and did a lot of climbs in Pamir and Tien Shan. 13 August, 2004 Mramornaya Stena (Marble Wall), Tien Shan: Denis Urubko, Serguey Samoilov and Gennady Durov climbed the new route (5B Russian Grade). They reached the summit yesterday, than spent the night at 5200. 9 August, 2004 Karly-Tau (5450 m), Tien-Shan: climbers from "Khan Tengri" mountaineering club (Almaty) and combined team from Yekaterinburg (Russia) summited Karly-Tau July, 23 - the difficult technical route 9 August, 2004 Mramornaya Stena (Marble Wall), Tien Shan: the team of Central Sport Club of Kazakhstan Army reached the top on August, 7 . They spent the night at 6100, and descended to base camp the day after. (message from Denis Urubko) 9 August, 2004 Kyrgyzstan, Khan-Tengri: Russian rescue team (Ministry of Emergency) have found bodies of two climbers, who died in avalanche August, 5 at South Inylchek glacier. The rescue is continuing. 6 August, 2004 In huge avalanche on Khan Tengri (Kyrgyzstan) yesterday at 6-30 a.m. five Cheh climbers (Duskova Pavla, Duskova Ludmila, Riha Pavel, Spicka Martin, Voska Petr) and Russian climber Alexey Khramtsov died. Mrna Ales (Cheh) and Nedoboiko Mikhail (Russia) are in hospital. Russians: Martyn Irina, Myravjov Maxym and Ukrainians: Alexander Mjasnikov, Vjacheslav Virich and Serguey Moskovichenko are missing. The rescue is continuing. Our sinsere condolences to families and friends of died climbers... 5 August, 2004 K2: rescue team are ascending to Camp3 - Japanese climbers hope to find Serguey and Davoud 3 August, 2004 K2: Magic Line climbers called that Alexander Gubaev (Bishkek,Kyrgyzstan) was on the Bottleneck at 11 AM July,28 where he met Inaki Ochoa, who was descending from the summit. Alexander continued up. That was the last time anybody have seen or heard from Alexander. Meanwhile, Sergey Sokolov from Russia and Davoud Khadem Asl (Iran) were in Camp 4 (7600). They wanted to wait for Alexander and hoped that conditions would improve. August 1 they were leaving Camp 4 and would try to reach camp 3. The only climbers still in the Abruzzi Base Camp are members of the Japanese expedition. Sergei and Davoud are still high up on the mountain in hurricane force winds.

Mountaineering World's news 23 August, 2004 K2: The member of the best team on K2 - Catalonian team - Manel de la Matte passed away while descent on Magic line in Camp 1 17 August, 2004 K2: Jordi Corominas summited yesterday about 12-00 p.m. local time after 21 hours ascent (he started at 4 a.m.) without supplementary oxygen, via Magic line. Then he was going down to Camp 4 at Abruzzi Spur, were Japanese team was waiting him. He reached it at 5 a.m. It was his third night above 8000 m. After a hour of rest he continued the descent amd reached Camp 3 at 10 a.m. 16 August, 2004 K2: Jordi Corominas is acsending K2 alone, sinked in fresh snow up to his waist. Oscar Cadiach and Corominas left their tent at 8100m this morning at 4:00 am, Oscar Cadiach would soon decided to turn around. At 2:00 pm, local time, there were only 100 vertical meters between Jordi and the summit. The weather remains good. Dosanko Japanese expedition have just reached the summit Cesen route. Corominas could climb back down to BC along with them 16 August, 2004 K2: Catalonian climbers Oscar Cadiach, Jordi Corominas reached 8300m yesterday., Manel de la Matta has decided to remain in the tent at 8100. THey are attempting the first repetition of the Magic Line, considered the most difficult route on K2. ‘Valen’ Giro and Gulam, a high altitude porter plan to reach Camp 3 at the Abruzzi Route, to wait for the climbers in case they decide to descend via the Normal route. They will descend through the Abruzzi Spur only if the visibility is perfect. 9 August, 2004 K2: Japanese climbers Yano Toshiaki (51), Seino Yoshiki (42), Mochizuki Yasuhiko (44), and Kawashima Takashi (44) along with Phura Chhere Sherpa (34) and Tika Ram Gurung (29) reached the summit of K2 on Saturday August 07, at approximately 11:00 am, local time 2 August, 2004 Catalonian team continues to climb Magic line at K2.

05.08.2004. K2:
Four climbers and a sherpa from Kondo Kazuyoshi’s Japanese expedition have reached C2 up the Abruzzi route on K2 to search for Davoud and Sergey. Climbers Yano Toshiaki, Seino Yoshiki, Mochizuki Yasuhiko and Kawashima Takashi, along with Phura Chhere Sherpa are right now spending the night at Camp 2, after a difficult battle with heavy snowfall and high winds on the way up.

The rescue climbers plan to reach Camp 3 tomorrow or the day after, but they will postpone the decision depending on weather and snow conditions. After 10 days of precipitations, K2 is overloaded with snow and risk of avalanche is very high: in the last hours several avalanches have hit the Cessen route, Angelus Peak and Broad Peak North slopes.

Baltis are going up tomorrow to gather tents and gear left there by the climbers. One of the Balti porters will go to Camp 2, while the other two intend to climb all the way up to Camp 3, if conditions allow.

Since learning about the stranded climbers Sunday, the Japanese and Magic Line Catalonian team never gave up hope on them. The climbers radioed down to BC reporting that they were leaving Camp 4 and would try descend to Camp3.

The Magic Line and Japanese expedition attempted a rescue the same day, but were forced back by a storm. Yesterday the wind seemed to receed slightly, and they waited no more. They know however, that the conditions are far from right and they are involved in a very risky operation to save the missing climbers.

Weather forecasts show a decrease in the wind for tomorrow morning, as the jet stream is moving away from the K2 area. A ridge moves in from Afghanistan giving mainly dry conditions over K2 during Thursday-Friday.

Then a couple of trough will pass eastwards with probably quite a lot of showers. In other words, condition may be slightly better for a rescue attempt tomorrow, but the situation will deteoriate again soon after.

If the rescuers make it to camp 3, they will be able to check if the missing climbers managed to get there. Possibilities are scarce, though. Acording to the Magic Line team, weather conditions have been really tough since Juy 28th, with 100km/h winds. The route from Camp 4 to camp 3 is complicated. Climbers can easily get lost in low visivility, as – according to Edurne Pasaban - there are twists and turns and no fixed ropes - only bamboo sticks likely been blown away by the wind.

02.08.2004. K2: Catalonian team Oscar Cadiach, Jordi Corominas, Jordi Tosas, Manel de la Matta and Valen Giro are attempting the first repetition of the Magic Line, once described as suicidal by Reinhold Messner, and considered the most difficult route on K2. They’ve made it as high as C3, at 7500m, and now are in BC waiting for a weather window to launch their summit bid. The Magic Boys were celebrating the K2 anniversary - and focused their homage in particular to a character of the story that, although he played a fundamental role in K2's conquest, is rarely mentioned these days: No other than Walter Bonatti is the center of their tribute.

The ambitious Bonatti, an Alpine legend, stands out in the controversy about the obscure events that took place during the night before K2's summit was reached for the very first time.

Bonatti was 24 when he joined Ardito Desio’s National Italian team to K2. Not only the summit was on stake, but the pride of a whole country struggling to find a first-line place in the history of alpine adventures.

When Aquille Compagnioni and Lino Lacedelli left their highest camp on their summit bid, young Walter and Madhi, the only Balti porter still capable of climbing high, was ordered to get them some O2 bottles. Problem was that the high camp was not where it was supposed to be, but slightly higher.

Walter and Madhi arrived in the middle of the night and couldn’t see the tents, and called out their mate’s names. A reply came; to leave the bottles on the spot and return to lower camps.

Well, they didn’t. According to Bonatti, since they were too exhausted to move, the spent the night out in the snow. They survived the night at 8000m, Madhi losing all his fingers to frostbite.

Some time after the expedition, the press accused Bonatti of trying to steal the Oxygen to attempt the summit himself; he instead accused Achille and Lino: “They left us out there to die.” Bonnati was isolated for years, and his name is still somewhat of a taboo when it comes to the -54 italian K2 expedition.

Walter Bonatti kept on climbing, and became a living legend to several generations of climbers around the world. Solo climbs, first ascents, new technical routes all over the world, elegance in the itineraries and methods, Bonatti proved without a shadow of doubt that he was one of the best climbers of his time, if not in all of climbing history.

Writes the Magic Line team in their last dispatch: “Bonatti represents the true spirit of Alpinism: Commitment, exposure, tenacity, courage and self discipline. Those are precisely the values that brought us to the Magic Line”.

“Face the void from the mountains to find myself...”; those Bonatti’s words have a special meaning to us now, after living face to face with K2 for two months.”

News archives