Gasherbrum II (8035m) Print E-mail

June 7, 2009

On Sunday June 7, we left to Islamabad. After long and careful considerations we have decided – despite the quite uncomfortable situation in the Swat Valley – to go to the Karakorum and start our expedition to Gasherbrum II. This expedition is for me a good preparation to my next goal in fall, where I will go back to Nepal.

Our trip to the States was gorgeous. I could – except to one pitch - redpoint on sight the route “Golden Gate” on the legendary El Capitan in the Yosemite National Parc. El Capitan is 1000 meter high and the highest free standing monolith of granite in the world.


Gasherbrum II (8035m)

 

Gasherbrum is a remote group of high peaks in the Karakorum, located at the northeast end of the 36-mile Baltoro glacier. The group forms a semi-circle around its own South Gasherbrum Glacier. The highest peak is Gasherbrum I. Three of the Gasherbrum massif's high peaks are over 8,000 meters. Gasherburm I is the world's eleventh highest peak, Broad Peak is the twelfth highest, and Gasherbrum II is the thirteenth highest. They do not lie – like Everest, Lohtse, Makalu or Ama Dablam – in Nepal, but in the sister mountain range of the Himalaja, in Karakorum Pakistan.

History and journey to base camp

Until 1939 today’s Pakistan and so also the moutains range of Karakorum stood under British highness. The Englishmen were the first ones to have mapped the Karakorum. The mountain became really well-known when it caught the attention of Ludwig Amadeus Sabaudzki, an aristocrat, the Duke of Abruzzi. Mountaineering was his passion. The expedition reached the Gasherbrum group over the until today not well known north route (China). Swiss G.O. Dyhrenfurth reached a height of 6250 meters on Gasherbrum II in 1934, followed the Baltoro glaicer from the south (Pakistan). After it was quiet in the valley until 1956. The first ascent over the southwest and east ridge was achieved by an Austrian expedition under the leadership of F. Moravec.

Gasherbrum II belongs because of its objectively relative safe route to the comfortable peaks of eightthousand meters. During the journey through the valley of Indus you follow first the Karakorum Highway and divert to Skardu. Over the Baltoro glacier you reach the most impressiv range of mountains in the world. Passing the huge mountains of Masherbrum, Muzthag Tower, Trango Towers, Gasherbrum IV, Broad Peak, K2 and the Corcordia place you follow the right arm of the Baltoro glacier and reach the base camp of Gasherbrum I & II on a height of approx. 5100m.


From Zürich we fly to Islamabad. The journey from Islamabad to the base camp over the 100 kilometer long Baltoro glacier lasts about 1 ½ -2 weeks.
Depending on how long the formalities with the government department and liasion officer will last, we hope to be able to move on on the second or third day.  If possible we try to fly directly to Skardu in order to avoid the Karakorum Highway. From Skardu we continue our journey with porters and jeeps to Aksole (3048m). From there we will trek during approx. 7 days to the base camp at 5100 meters.

 

 




June 22, 2009

On Saturday, June 20 – after a journey of nearly two weeks – we reached Gasherbrum base camp (5100m).
The formalities at the government in Islamabad were quickly settled. Should the political situation in Pakistan  get critical, we provided also the visa for China. So we would be able to fly out from China – just in case.
Because of bad weather we could not fly to Skardu. Bounced around and dead tired we finally reached Skardu on June 11 after a 14 hours lasting bus ride over the really impressive Karakorum Highway. The bus ride the day after to Gilgit lasted once again so long. Bus rides will definitively not become to my favourite hobbies... To my relief on June 14 from Gilgit we continued our journey on foot. On June 16 we reached beautiful Paiju (3785m), where we rested for one day. Since Saturday we are at the BC at 5100 meters.

Thanks to the meteo data of Meteotest I can observe the weather accurately and plan the acclimatisation. Yesterday it stayed dry all day long. In the afternoon more cloudy and on the summit ridge strong winds. Today Monday I left just after midnight. In my backpack tent and food for four days. At 5900 meters I installed camp 1 (C1) and went back to BC. This first acclimatisation excursion lasted 9 hours. Tomorrow I will rest.




July 3, 2009 - Gasherbrum base camp:

It’s running quite good here. From Tuesday until Wednesday I was already for the second time at camp 2 at 6500 meters. Overnight. The weather was pretty bad. Nicole, my wife, descended from camp 1 back to BC with two Pakistani. We left some material at camp 1 and also at camp 2. If everything runs smoothly, we try again on Sunday to reach camp 1 and them move on together up to camp 2. Nicole will stay at camp 2 and I will continue alone. If the weather is fine, if there is not too much snow and if I feel well, I would like to go for the summit. This, before all the fix ropes are placed. This would be great and also nicer for me. I have installed camp 2 before all fix ropes were installed. This was absolutely great. A very nice climb.


Ueli camp 1
Ueli ascent camp 2



July 7, 2009 – Gasherbrum camp 2:

Because of the unsteady weather, we stayed at BC also on Sunday. Yesterday we reached camp 1. There is a lot of snow.
Now we are at camp 2 at 6500 meter: there is still a lot of snow. And a lot of humidity in the air. The decision, when and if I can try for the summit, is not easy. I will decide day by day.

Summit success for Ueli Steck at Gasherbrum II main peak (8035m)


July 9, 2009

Almost exactly three years after in 2006 I summited the east summit of Gasherbrum II (7772m), I reached the main summit of 8035m high Gasherbrum II.
2006 Hans Mitterer, Cedric Hählen and first ascended  - coming from the Chinese side - a new route. It was the first route from the north side (This was 2006).

After my wife Nicole and I spent two months in the States climbing, we flew to Pakistan on June 8, 2009. In America I redpointed the legendary route „Golden Gate“ at El Capitan. Another success in my carreer as a professional alpinist. I nearly missed being the first person to climb a route on sight at the monolith of granit in the Yosemite National Park. I fell off a crack in a relatively simple pitch. Several pitches in the 10th grade of difficulty I climbed all in the first try. Rock climbing legends such as Yuji Hirayama or Tommy Caldwell needed different tries, to climb these difficult passages.
Now the situation is completely different. For my preparation and acclimatisation I climb Gasherbrum II main summit. It is my first peak of a mountain over 8000 meters. In autumn I would like to fulfil my long lasting project and climb a mountain over 8000 meters over a technical demanding route solo.

The conditions are not really ideal. After a four days break at the base camp, Nicole and I start towards camp 1 once more on July 6, which lies at 5900 meters. The weather is very unstable. One meter of fresh snow has fallen. On July 7 we planned to move towards camp 2. The danger of avalanches is high. We spend another day at camp 1 and the sky is deep blue. Nobody moves on. On July 8, at 6 o’clock in the morning, Nicole and I set off for camp 2. We are not sure, if it is possible to continue our way under these particular conditions. The snow conditions are still very precarious. Carefully we move on. We need 6 hours up to camp 2. During my acclimatisation days before I needed 2 ½ hours for the same way. Just to compare. This is high altitude alpinism. Camp 2 lies on a protected place on the ridge. Our tent is placed about 100 meters of altitude higher than the one of the other teams. It is not much snowed in. Our place seems to be perfect. The other tents 100 meters below are deeply buried into the snow.
On July 9, 2009 I set off for a first summit try. The moon is shining and shows me the way. The fresh snow gives a lot of resistance. From 6500 meters up to approx. 7000 meter the snow is hip-deep. To spur is very exhausting. Between 7000 and 7450 meters I can step aside to the rocks, which are blowed clear. The climb over the rocky ridge is more difficult, but less exhausting than moving up in the hip-deep snow. From camp 4 the normal route crosses under the summit pyramid to the right. The strong wind from the past days has done a good job. The traverse goes relatively easy. On the col the wind is expecting me – as forecasted by Meteotest. This wind blows up to 50 km/h. The temperatures fall below 25 degrees. From the col there are still about 300 meters of altitude to go to the main summit of Gasherbrum II. The last ascent is not easy at all. Again the snow lies nearly bottomless.
12 hours after having left my warm sleeping bag, I reach the 8035 meter high summit. I stay only about five minutes on the summit. It’s not at all comfortable up there. The cold drives me to a quick descent. This is easy in the deep snow. To slide down is a well-deserved relief. The descent to the tent lasts about 2 ½ hours.
Totally I was en-route 14 ½ hours. In my backpack: 0.5 liters of Peronin, 0.5 liters of mint tea, 2 oatmeal snacks and 4 powergels.
On July 10, Nicole and I descend to the base camp.

The main summit of Gasherbrum II is my first summit success on a mountain over 8000 meters. An easy peak over 8000 meters. Nevertheless it’s the ideal preparation for my main upcoming project in autumn: Makalu in Nepal. In the next days I will go up again: as a supplementary training. I will try to reach the summit together with my wife Nicole.
But the real preparation has been done. I am happy.


Ueli Steck camp 2
Ueli Steck Banana Ridge
summit pyramid
Ueli Steck summit




Expedition Gasherbrum II (8035m) - Final report


August 6, 2009

A little bit earlier than scheduled my wife and I returned back to Switzerland. So I have enough time to pack the rest for the upcoming Makalu expedition and to get some rest, before I will definitively leave for Nepal on August 20, 2009.

I am very happy about the Gasherbrum expedition. Though Gasherbrum II is a quite easy peak to climb and though the weather was very unstable, with high winds and a lot of precipitations, I could celebrate my first ascent on a peak over 8000 meters. Celebrate is not really the right word to use: with 5 minutes peak stop and the upcoming descent back to camp 2, my euphoria was quite modest. A lot of snow shaped the season. I left camp 2 at 6500 meters on July 9 towards summit. I struggled myself through deep snow, which was either knee or hip deep. 12 hours I dug myself through the snow. On the summit pyramid I was about to give up. „What is this all about“, I told myself after hours of tracking through the deep snow. I can’t be so far anymore to the summit, I thought, and mountaineering is just a matter of will. „Move on“, was my device.

When I finally reached the summit the wind was so strong, that I could stand only bent. Afterwards I was happy, that the weather conditions were so bad. With wind speeds of 50 to 60 km/h, approx. minuse 25 degrees celcius and plenty of snow I could test my equipment. And I know now, how fast I can climb in this altitude. The descent back to camp 2 took me only 2 ½ hours.
As usual I recorded everything very carefully. So I was able to complete the missing information I needed.

My motivation is very high. With the route „Golden Gate“ at El Capitan in the United States this spring, which I was able to free climb and with my ascent on Gasherbrum II (8035m) in Pakistan I could realise two completely different projects. Expressed very simply: these two projects cannot be more contrary. Personally these are two big achievements for me. The complexity of my work out for the upcoming expedition to Nepal is huge. I think I have done a good job. They give me the necessary confidence and confirmation that my training schedule was not totally wrong.

Unfortunately I could not realise a second summit ascent together with my wife. The weather was too bad and we still wanted to do some climbing in another part of the region.
These were unforgettable weeks in Pakistan. We gained new friends. The Pakistani who accompanied us, our porters who helped us to carry our equipment to BC were wonderful people. The landscape was unique, simply breathtaking.

The Makalu expedition will start shortly and I will inform you about the expedition soon.