Summer 2015 | List of Summits this Season (Updated)
Summer climbing season in Karakoram is nearing its end. All teams but two GI climbers have left the mountains. As per last communication from Czech new route team, they had acclimatized to 7000m on Gasherbrum II and were waiting for good weather to launch summit push on Gasherbrum I SW face in alpine style.
It has been a difficult climbing season; excessive snow and ‘excess’ of good weather denied major summit pushes. “I must say that it is a weird feeling to be abandoning our expeditions because of too much fine weather.” Veteran expedition leader Russell Brice concluded at the end of K2/Broad Peak season. “We have been experiencing so many clear hot sunny days here at BC, which have caused all sorts of havoc with the snow cover. At first we had heard of the large amounts of snow in the area, but this soon melted or fell off the summits, leaving behind a small sheen of hard green water ice on the rocks, or exposed rocks that fell down the slopes. On the high glaciers and snow slopes the snow that remained was so unconsolidated, and as I have already explained is more like icing sugar.”
Nonetheless, there have been moments of sheer brilliance. Andrzej Bargiel stunned the climbing community with an 8 hour solo summit push and ski descent of Broad Peak, whereas dozens of climbers were forced to retreat. Defying all the odds, three mountaineers were successful on Gasherbrum-I. Two summit windows on Gasherbrum II resulted in at least 13 summits.
Summer 2015 Summits
Broad Peak
1. Mariano Galvan (Argentina) : July 16th, 2015
2. Andrzej Bargiel (Poland) : July 25th, 2015
Gasherbrum I
1. Ferran Latorre (Spain) : July 24th, 2015
2. Yannick Graziani (France) : July 24th, 2015
3. Tom Seidensticker (Germany) : July 24th, 2015
Gasherbrum II
1. Laura González del Castillo (Mexico) : July 16th, 2015
2. Yuri Contreras Cedi (Mexico) : July 16th, 2015
3. Ernst Felix : July 16th, 2015
4. Christof Bartmann : July 16th, 2015 (Christof turned back 80m below summit due to health issues).
4. Sophie Lavaud (France/Switzerland) : July 16th, 2015
5. Ngima Chhiring Lama (Nepal) : July 16th, 2015
6. Muhammad (Pakistan) : July 16th, 2015
7. Kinga Baranowska (Poland) : July 17th, 2015
8. Bashir (Pakistan) : July 17th, 2015
9. Mahdi Chavoshi (Iran) : July 17th, 2015
10. Richard Hidalgo (Peru) : July 24th, 2015
11. Martin Gildemeister (Chile) : July 24th, 2015
12. Czech Climber 1 : July 24th, 2015
13. Czech Climber 2 : July 24th, 2015
Identity of unnamed climbers will be updated as we find out about them. Czech climbers Marek Holecek and Tomas Petrecek are still in the region getting ready for GI SW Face. K2 remained unclimbed whereas no permits were issued for Nanga Parbat climbing.
It has been a difficult climbing season; excessive snow and ‘excess’ of good weather denied major summit pushes. “I must say that it is a weird feeling to be abandoning our expeditions because of too much fine weather.” Veteran expedition leader Russell Brice concluded at the end of K2/Broad Peak season. “We have been experiencing so many clear hot sunny days here at BC, which have caused all sorts of havoc with the snow cover. At first we had heard of the large amounts of snow in the area, but this soon melted or fell off the summits, leaving behind a small sheen of hard green water ice on the rocks, or exposed rocks that fell down the slopes. On the high glaciers and snow slopes the snow that remained was so unconsolidated, and as I have already explained is more like icing sugar.”
Nonetheless, there have been moments of sheer brilliance. Andrzej Bargiel stunned the climbing community with an 8 hour solo summit push and ski descent of Broad Peak, whereas dozens of climbers were forced to retreat. Defying all the odds, three mountaineers were successful on Gasherbrum-I. Two summit windows on Gasherbrum II resulted in at least 13 summits.
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| Speedster Andrzej Bargiel at the summit of Broad Peak; Source |
Summer 2015 Summits
Broad Peak
1. Mariano Galvan (Argentina) : July 16th, 2015
2. Andrzej Bargiel (Poland) : July 25th, 2015
Gasherbrum I
1. Ferran Latorre (Spain) : July 24th, 2015
2. Yannick Graziani (France) : July 24th, 2015
3. Tom Seidensticker (Germany) : July 24th, 2015
Gasherbrum II
1. Laura González del Castillo (Mexico) : July 16th, 2015
2. Yuri Contreras Cedi (Mexico) : July 16th, 2015
3. Ernst Felix : July 16th, 2015
4. Sophie Lavaud (France/Switzerland) : July 16th, 2015
5. Ngima Chhiring Lama (Nepal) : July 16th, 2015
6. Muhammad (Pakistan) : July 16th, 2015
7. Kinga Baranowska (Poland) : July 17th, 2015
8. Bashir (Pakistan) : July 17th, 2015
9. Mahdi Chavoshi (Iran) : July 17th, 2015
10. Richard Hidalgo (Peru) : July 24th, 2015
11. Martin Gildemeister (Chile) : July 24th, 2015
12. Czech Climber 1 : July 24th, 2015
13. Czech Climber 2 : July 24th, 2015
Identity of unnamed climbers will be updated as we find out about them. Czech climbers Marek Holecek and Tomas Petrecek are still in the region getting ready for GI SW Face. K2 remained unclimbed whereas no permits were issued for Nanga Parbat climbing.
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| Ferran Latorre, Yannick Graziani and Tom Seidensticker - GI summiteers; Source |
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